[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're happy to
have you with us today
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as we look at the
great controversy.
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And today we're
looking at lesson number 10,
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"Spiritualism Exposed,"
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a really
interesting study today.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank You
for being with us today
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as we study Your Word
and study through the events
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that are happening in our
day and in the very near future.
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Today, we ask
that You would bless us
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with a deeper
understanding of this subject
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and we thank You in
advance for doing so,
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in Jesus' name, [both] amen.
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Well, we're grateful today
to have back with us again,
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Pastor Mark Finley.
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He is the author
of this quarter's
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"Sabbath School" lesson,
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well-known author,
speaker, and evangelist
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all around the world.
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We're glad to have you
back again, Pastor Mark.
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>>Mark Finley: Thank
you, Pastor Eric. You know,
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we have been walking
through this quarterly,
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going on a journey, and
we're on lesson number 10 today,
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and I've just been enjoying it.
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Thank you for hosting me.
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>>Eric: Oh, it's been fantastic,
and we've enjoyed having you.
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Some very interesting
subjects that we've covered,
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and we still have four lessons
to go, including this one.
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This one is called
"Spiritualism Exposed,"
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sort of an interesting
title, an interesting subject.
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But what about spiritualism?
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Is spiritualism something
new, or is it a new idea?
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Has it been around for a while?
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Tell us a little
bit about spiritualism.
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>>Mark: Spiritualism has been
around since the Garden of Eden.
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You remember the
Lord said to Adam and Eve,
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"If you eat of the
tree of the knowledge
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of good and evil,
you will surely die."
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And here in Genesis, chapter 3,
we have the first lie of Satan.
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You remember Jesus said,
regarding Satan, he's "a liar,
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and the father of lies,"
so lies originated with Satan.
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The first lie had to do
with the subject of death.
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Genesis, chapter
3, verse 2, 3, and 4.
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Go ahead and read those, please.
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>>Eric: "And the
woman said to the serpent,
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"'We may eat the fruit
of the trees of the garden;
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"'but of the fruit
of the tree which is
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"'in the midst of the garden,
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"'God has said,
"You shall not eat it,
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"'nor shall you
touch it, lest you die."'
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"Then the serpent
said to the woman,
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'You will not surely die.'"
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>>Mark: The
devil's argument there was,
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you're naturally immortal.
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You can eat of the
tree, disobey what God says,
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and you will live.
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And then he goes
on to say in verse 5,
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"For God knows that in
the day [that] you eat of it
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"your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God,
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knowing good and evil."
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So, the lie of spiritualism
is that, through disobeying God,
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through communication with
the dead, who do not really die,
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the idea is you
have an immortal soul--
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this is what Satan
argued here in Eden--
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that you'll enter into a
higher sphere of existence,
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that you will enter
into an exalted state,
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be like the gods with this
larger, mystical knowledge.
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Spiritualism has been
around since the Garden of Eden.
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And we can trace it
down through the centuries.
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In the Old Testament as well,
you look at God's condemnation
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against witches, psychics,
astrologers, spiritualists.
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And then you
come to the deceptions
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in the New
Testament in particular,
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which we'll get
into later in the lesson,
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about Satan's
attempt in the last days
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to deceive through spiritualism.
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>>Eric: So we have a better
idea of what spiritualism now--
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you mentioned the
immortality of the soul,
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which is a prevalent
belief in Christianity
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and certainly without,
outside of Christianity.
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What evidence do we have
that the soul is not immortal?
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I mean, talking with
many Christians, it just--
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it sounds like it's a given
that you have an immortal soul.
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What evidence is
there that it isn't?
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>>Mark: Well, you know,
when you look, for example,
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at Sunday's lesson, we
quote in Sunday's lesson
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Matthew 10, verse 28 that says,
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"Do not fear
those who kill the body
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"but cannot kill the soul.
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"But rather fear Him
who is able to destroy
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both soul and body in hell."
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In other words, in
the fiery destruction
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of the wicked,
at the end of time,
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the total person
will be destroyed.
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In the Bible, the term
"soul" is never used to describe
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something that's immortal.
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In fact, in 1
Timothy, chapter 6, it says,
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verse 16 and 17,
only God has immortality.
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So God has immortality.
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And here in the
book of Matthew, it says
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to "fear Him who
can kill body and soul."
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Soul represents the essence
of the human nature here,
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the whole part of man,
and the body, of course,
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is the physical part.
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So the soul can represent
the mind, the emotions,
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everything that the person
is, other than physical body.
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But both of those can be
destroyed in the fires of hell.
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In other words,
hell totally destroys.
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And then if you
look, for example, at death
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in the Old
Testament, you find no evidence
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of the idea of the
immortal soul at all;
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death in the New Testament,
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no evidence of the
immortal soul. In fact,
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the Bible uses the
term "soul" 1,600 times;
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never once does it use
the term "immortal soul."
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In the Bible, "soul"
is used in two ways--
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first, something a person is.
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You remember in
Genesis, chapter 2, it says God
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"formed man out of
the dust of the ground,
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"breathed into his
[life] the breath of life,...
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man became a living soul."
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So you're a living
being. You're a living person.
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In Acts it talks about
276 souls aboard the boat.
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You know, it's not
floating essence around here.
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Not at all, it's 276 people.
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So soul is something you are.
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You are a living soul;
you are a living personality.
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The Bible also talks
about soul as something we have.
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But it talks about something
we have; it's we have life.
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We have life.
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So when it says you
can destroy the body,
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that's our physical life,
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but the essence of life is
destroyed in the fires of hell.
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So, so it's never
something immortal in the Bible.
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That's, of course, a pagan idea.
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>>Eric: So if the
soul is not immortal,
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if the soul doesn't go
flitting off at death somewhere,
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then what is it that
happens when a person dies?
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We know what
it's like to be alive.
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We don't like
to think of death--
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at least, most people
don't look forward to it.
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But what happens
when a person dies
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if we're not
somehow naturally immortal?
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>>Mark: In Monday's
lesson, we look at death
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in the Old Testament,
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and let's look at a few passages
that really answer your question
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about death in
the Old Testament.
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We're going to go
to Psalm 6 and verse 5.
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And would you be so kind
to read Psalm 6, verse 5?
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>>Eric: Psalm 6, verse 5 says,
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"For in death there
is no remembrance of You;
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in the grave who
will give You thanks?"
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>>Mark: So why is it
that there's no remembrance
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of God in death?
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If you were in
heaven, it'd certainly be
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the remembrance of God there.
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Psalm 115, verse
17 helps us as well.
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So the Old Testament sets
out the reality of the fact
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that there's no
conscious existence in death.
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Psalm 115, verse 17.
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>>Eric: "The dead
do not praise the Lord,
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nor any who go
down into silence."
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>>Mark: So if the
dead don't praise the Lord,
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they're certainly
not up there someplace.
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And probably the classic passage
in death in the Old Testament--
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there's multiple ones--
is Ecclesiastes, chapter 9,
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verse 5. And I can
pick that up and read it.
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Ecclesiastes 9, verse 5, and
then we'll add to that verse 10:
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"For the living
know that they will die;
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"but the dead know nothing,
and they have no more reward,
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"for the memory
of them is forgotten.
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"Also their
love, their hatred,...
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their envy have now perished."
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So the living
know that they die.
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The dead don't know anything.
Why not? Why don't they?
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Well, verse 10:
"Whatever your hand finds to do,
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"do it with your
might; for there is no work
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"or device or
knowledge or wisdom in the grave
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where you are going."
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So if indeed the dead went
immediately to heaven or hell
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when they died, they
certainly have some knowledge
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of what was going on, but
in death, Psalm 6, verse 5,
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there's no remembrance of the--
Psalm 115, verse 17 points out
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that the dead
praise not the Lord.
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Now, what happens when we die?
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There is a quote
right under Monday's lesson
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that starts out with,
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"The Old
Testament does not teach
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the immortality of the
soul." If you'll just read
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that first paragraph
because it really clarifies it
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with multiple
Old Testament texts.
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>>Eric: "The Old Testament
does not teach the immortality
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"of the soul. Nor does
it teach that after death
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"the faithful soar
off to the bliss of heaven
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"for eternity...
[or that after death]
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"the unfaithful descend to hell,
where they burn for eternity.
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"It teaches that
death is a sleep.
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"The book of Kings
uses the expression
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"'they rested [or
slept] with their fathers'
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"to describe the
death of the patriarchs.
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The Psalms call it
the 'sleep of death.'"
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Psalm 13:3 and
Psalm 90, verse 5.
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"Referring to death,
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"Job speaks of not awaking
from sleep ([in] Job 14:12).
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"The psalmist adds,
'As for me, I will see
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"'Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied
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when I awake in Your likeness.'"
That's Psalm 17, verse 15.
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>>Mark: And then
when the Assyrian army
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was destroyed by the angel,
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the Bible says
the soldiers slept.
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In other words,
in the Old Testament
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and in the New
Testament, death is but a sleep.
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It's a rest
until the resurrection.
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Surprisingly enough,
even the Old Testament
00:10:06.03\00:10:09.00
talks about the resurrection.
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We can go to the
book of Job, chapter 19.
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So the concept
of the resurrection
00:10:15.41\00:10:17.01
is not simply a
New Testament concept,
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although we see it more
clearly in the New Testament.
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But Job 19, verse 25
and onward, Job says,
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"For I know...my Redeemer lives,
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"and He shall stand at
[the] last [day] on the earth;
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"and after my skin is destroyed,
this I know, that in my flesh
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"I shall see God, whom
I shall see for myself,
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and my eyes shall
behold, and not another."
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So Job says, "Although this body
is destroyed, my Redeemer lives
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and at the last
day, I'll see God,"
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and he's talking about
that day of the resurrection.
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Daniel speaks about this
as well in the last chapter
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of the book of Daniel. I
like these Bible passages,
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particularly because they show
that the Old Testament hints at
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and points forward
to the resurrection,
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as well as the New Testament.
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So throughout the Bible,
the soul is not immortal.
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When a person dies,
they don't go off to heaven
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to worship God or praise God.
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Death is but a sleep until
the great resurrection morning.
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Daniel, chapter 12--
and let's go down there,
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and why don't you read
verse 2 and--verse 2 and 3.
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>>Eric: "And many of
those who sleep in the dust
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"of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life,
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"some to shame and
everlasting contempt.
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"Those who are wise
shall shine like the brightness
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"of the firmament,
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"and those who turn
many to righteousness
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like the stars
forever and ever."
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>>Mark: So there we have it.
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Many who sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake,
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some to everlasting life.
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So if you had everlasting
life and ascended to heaven
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in some immortal soul,
00:12:02.72\00:12:04.52
it wouldn't make
sense for Daniel to say
00:12:04.55\00:12:06.89
we sleep until the
day of the resurrection.
00:12:06.92\00:12:10.16
So in the Old Testament,
the immortality-of-the-soul idea
00:12:10.19\00:12:14.40
is a pagan idea.
00:12:14.46\00:12:15.83
It comes from Satan,
who told the first lie.
00:12:15.86\00:12:18.23
Death is but a sleep
until that glorious day
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of the resurrection of Christ.
00:12:20.47\00:12:22.04
>>Eric: So we've seen
consistently through the Bible
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so far, Old Testament,
00:12:23.87\00:12:25.17
and you've
mentioned New Testament--
00:12:25.21\00:12:26.57
we may look at
that a little bit more--
00:12:26.61\00:12:28.54
that we see
death is like a sleep.
00:12:28.58\00:12:31.65
We're gonna look
in the latter part
00:12:31.68\00:12:33.85
of our study together today
00:12:33.88\00:12:35.35
at one of the
crowning deceptions
00:12:35.38\00:12:37.29
that the devil is going to have.
00:12:37.32\00:12:39.29
But for somebody who wants to
see how it applies to us today,
00:12:39.32\00:12:43.26
share with us a little
bit about that companion book
00:12:43.29\00:12:45.63
and why they might
want to pick that up.
00:12:45.66\00:12:47.00
>>Mark: Yeah, the
companion book is titled
00:12:47.03\00:12:48.46
"The War Between Good and Evil."
00:12:48.50\00:12:50.00
And I was taking a look
at this particular chapter
00:12:50.03\00:12:52.33
just momentarily before
we came on the air today,
00:12:52.37\00:12:55.27
and we trace
Hydesville, New York,
00:12:55.30\00:12:58.04
the
spiritualistic wrappings there.
00:12:58.07\00:13:00.38
We trace the evidence in
the Old and New Testament
00:13:00.41\00:13:03.75
that death is but a sleep.
00:13:03.78\00:13:05.08
We explore Satan's lie,
and particularly we come
00:13:05.11\00:13:09.45
to the point where we look
at Satan's final deceptions
00:13:09.48\00:13:12.42
of spiritualism.
00:13:12.45\00:13:13.82
This is a book that
will really help you,
00:13:13.86\00:13:15.72
that you'll certainly want
to pick up from It Is Written.
00:13:15.76\00:13:17.79
>>Eric: Very good. And if
you want to pick that book up,
00:13:17.83\00:13:20.46
and I would encourage you
to do so, it's easy to do.
00:13:20.50\00:13:22.93
Just go to itiswritten.shop.
00:13:22.96\00:13:25.27
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:13:25.30\00:13:27.50
Find the companion
book to this quarter's
00:13:27.54\00:13:29.00
"Sabbath School" lesson,
and you will be blessed by it.
00:13:29.04\00:13:32.27
We're going to be back in just
a moment as we continue looking
00:13:32.31\00:13:34.54
at one of the
last great deceptions
00:13:34.58\00:13:36.71
that Satan is going
to pull upon the world
00:13:36.75\00:13:39.35
on the subject of spiritualism.
00:13:39.38\00:13:41.12
We'll be right back.
00:13:41.15\00:13:42.45
[uplifting music]
00:13:42.48\00:13:44.99
>>Announcer: If you'd like
to deepen your understanding
00:13:47.12\00:13:48.86
of the powerful themes
brought out in this program,
00:13:48.89\00:13:51.49
we invite you
to explore the book
00:13:51.53\00:13:53.29
"The Great Controversy."
00:13:53.33\00:13:54.66
For more information,
simply text the code
00:13:54.73\00:13:56.60
"GC24" to 71392.
00:13:56.63\00:14:00.14
This book delves into
critical end-time themes,
00:14:00.17\00:14:02.70
offering profound
insights into historical events,
00:14:02.74\00:14:05.57
Bible prophecy, and
spiritual preparation
00:14:05.61\00:14:07.98
essential for
today's unique challenges.
00:14:08.01\00:14:11.11
Discover how "The
Great Controversy"
00:14:11.15\00:14:12.58
can illuminate your path
in these uncertain times.
00:14:12.61\00:14:15.58
>>John Bradshaw: Crystals,
yoga, Ouija boards, witchcraft
00:14:17.29\00:14:21.02
are back in vogue.
00:14:21.06\00:14:23.19
What the Fox Sisters popularized
is now part of pop culture.
00:14:23.22\00:14:27.20
Books and movies
about witchcraft, wizardry,
00:14:27.23\00:14:29.63
and magic are everywhere.
00:14:29.66\00:14:32.13
What's often said to
be just entertainment
00:14:32.17\00:14:34.67
is part of something
much larger and darker.
00:14:34.70\00:14:38.21
Don't miss
"Dancing With the Devil,"
00:14:38.24\00:14:40.68
where we'll explore
the rise of the occult,
00:14:40.71\00:14:43.61
and you'll meet a young woman
who overcame her involvement
00:14:43.65\00:14:45.95
with the occult
through the power of God.
00:14:45.98\00:14:49.62
In a world where the media is
saturated with occult imagery,
00:14:49.65\00:14:53.22
in a society where
ghosts and demons are treated
00:14:53.25\00:14:55.89
as trivial and fun,
00:14:55.92\00:14:57.53
it's never been more important
00:14:57.56\00:14:58.96
to discern between the
sacred and the profane.
00:14:58.99\00:15:01.70
In "Dancing With the Devil,"
00:15:01.73\00:15:03.40
you'll learn there's
nothing new under the sun
00:15:03.43\00:15:05.90
and that the roots
of what we see today
00:15:05.93\00:15:07.50
go all the way back
to the origin of sin.
00:15:07.54\00:15:11.34
"Dancing With the Devil,"
00:15:11.37\00:15:13.01
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:15:13.04\00:15:15.64
[uplifting music]
00:15:17.48\00:15:21.95
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School"
00:15:21.98\00:15:23.55
here at It Is Written.
00:15:23.59\00:15:24.99
We are looking at
"Spiritualism Exposed,"
00:15:25.02\00:15:28.29
and Pastor Mark, you've--
00:15:28.32\00:15:29.62
we've looked at
the Old Testament
00:15:29.66\00:15:31.69
and what the Old Testament
says about what happens
00:15:31.73\00:15:33.83
at death. It's
kind of like a sleep.
00:15:33.86\00:15:35.93
Does anything
change when we get over
00:15:35.96\00:15:38.27
into the New Testament?
00:15:38.30\00:15:39.43
Does death look any
different in the transition
00:15:39.47\00:15:43.04
from Old
Testament to New Testament?
00:15:43.07\00:15:44.97
>>Mark: The Bible is consistent.
00:15:45.01\00:15:46.71
And here in the New Testament,
we find that same emphasis
00:15:46.74\00:15:50.95
again and again. Probably
one of the classic experiences
00:15:50.98\00:15:54.18
is Jesus in the
death of Lazarus.
00:15:54.22\00:15:57.45
Lazarus is sick
unto death. Jesus waits.
00:15:57.49\00:16:00.72
Somebody titled a sermon once,
00:16:00.76\00:16:02.79
"When Jesus Was Four Days Late
But Right on Time," you know?
00:16:02.82\00:16:06.83
And here in John, chapter
11, we find, in verses 11 to 14,
00:16:06.86\00:16:14.74
Jesus clarifying this.
00:16:14.77\00:16:16.37
And he says in
John 11, verse 11,
00:16:16.40\00:16:19.31
"These things He said, and
after that He said to them,
00:16:19.34\00:16:21.88
"'Our friend Lazarus sleeps,
but I go that I may wake him
00:16:21.91\00:16:25.18
[out of sleep].'"
00:16:25.21\00:16:26.51
The disciples
think, in verse 12,
00:16:26.55\00:16:28.82
that if Lazarus
sleeps, he's doing well.
00:16:28.85\00:16:32.05
"However, Jesus
spoke of his death,
00:16:32.09\00:16:34.79
"but they thought
that He was speaking
00:16:34.82\00:16:36.79
about taking rest in sleep."
00:16:36.83\00:16:39.03
So here you find that
Jesus equates Lazarus' death
00:16:39.06\00:16:44.60
with sleep.
00:16:44.63\00:16:45.93
Christ comes to the grave,
and we look a little later
00:16:45.97\00:16:49.17
in the chapter, and Jesus prays
and He cries with a loud voice.
00:16:49.20\00:16:54.78
Can you take a look at
verse 43, please, and 44?
00:16:54.81\00:16:59.68
>>Eric: "Now when He
had said these things,
00:16:59.71\00:17:01.15
"He cried with a loud
voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!'
00:17:01.18\00:17:04.45
"And he who had died
came out bound hand and foot
00:17:04.49\00:17:07.86
"with graveclothes,
00:17:07.89\00:17:09.19
"and his face was wrapped with
a cloth. Jesus said to them,
00:17:09.22\00:17:12.53
'Loose him, and let him go.'"
00:17:12.56\00:17:14.86
>>Mark: So Jesus
raised Lazarus from the dead
00:17:14.93\00:17:18.13
as a symbol of
the great resurrection
00:17:18.17\00:17:21.77
that will take
place at the end of time,
00:17:21.80\00:17:24.54
the resurrection
of the righteous.
00:17:24.57\00:17:26.68
You know, Paul
says, "The Lord Himself
00:17:26.71\00:17:28.61
shall descend from heaven"--
00:17:28.64\00:17:29.94
1 Thessalonians,
chapter 4, verse 16 and 17:
00:17:29.98\00:17:32.78
"The Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout,
00:17:32.81\00:17:34.68
"with the voice
of the archangel,...
00:17:34.72\00:17:36.02
"with the trump of God:
00:17:36.05\00:17:37.35
"...the dead in
Christ shall rise first:
00:17:37.39\00:17:39.65
"then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up...
00:17:39.69\00:17:42.39
"with them..., to meet
the Lord in the air....
00:17:42.42\00:17:45.59
[Comfort] one
another with these words."
00:17:45.63\00:17:47.56
So the death is but a sleep
till the great resurrection.
00:17:47.60\00:17:51.13
The resurrection of Lazarus
is a symbol of the resurrection
00:17:51.17\00:17:55.00
at the end of time.
00:17:55.04\00:17:56.37
You know, I've
smiled and I've said
00:17:56.40\00:17:58.04
to my evangelistic audience,
if anybody could have written
00:17:58.07\00:18:01.48
a book that would
become a bestseller
00:18:01.51\00:18:04.51
on what happens when you die,
00:18:04.55\00:18:06.31
it would have been
Lazarus, you know? [chuckles]
00:18:06.35\00:18:08.32
And I've thought about
that a lot and I've thought,
00:18:08.35\00:18:10.49
you know, if I were Lazarus,
Pastor Eric, up in heaven,
00:18:10.52\00:18:13.89
and Jesus said,
"Lazarus, come forth,"
00:18:13.92\00:18:16.56
and He didn't say come down--
00:18:16.59\00:18:17.96
but let's assume that
that was true; it's not--
00:18:17.99\00:18:20.63
and I would have yelled
back, "Lord, I'm not coming back
00:18:20.66\00:18:22.60
to that old world,"
[laughing] you know.
00:18:22.63\00:18:24.27
"You called the wrong name.
00:18:24.30\00:18:25.70
Please, Lord, I
wanna stay up in heaven."
00:18:25.73\00:18:28.04
But Lazarus didn't write
a manuscript on heaven. Why?
00:18:28.07\00:18:31.71
Because he was sleeping
and the dead--living know
00:18:31.74\00:18:33.88
that they shall die,
but the dead know nothing.
00:18:33.91\00:18:35.38
That's the classic understanding
in the New Testament.
00:18:35.41\00:18:39.61
The New Testament
writers point us forward.
00:18:39.65\00:18:42.78
Whether you look at Paul's
writings in 1 Thessalonians 4,
00:18:42.82\00:18:45.89
whether you look at
Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15,
00:18:45.92\00:18:49.59
whatever you look at in the
New Testament, death is a rest.
00:18:49.62\00:18:53.43
New Testament
writers are looking forward
00:18:53.46\00:18:54.86
to the great event of
the second coming of Christ,
00:18:54.93\00:18:57.03
where the righteous
dead are resurrected.
00:18:57.07\00:18:59.47
The righteous living
and the righteous dead
00:18:59.50\00:19:01.54
receive immortality. They're
caught up with Christ in heaven.
00:19:01.57\00:19:04.51
Why would the second coming of
Christ be such a glorious event
00:19:04.54\00:19:07.84
to loved one-- to us,
if indeed our loved ones
00:19:07.88\00:19:12.35
were already in heaven?
00:19:12.38\00:19:13.68
>>Eric: Yeah, it's
an excellent question.
00:19:13.72\00:19:15.02
And, you know,
what's the purpose of the--
00:19:15.05\00:19:17.49
of the Second
Coming? >>Mark: Sure.
00:19:17.52\00:19:18.82
>>Eric: Yeah, the devil has done
a good job of deceiving people
00:19:18.85\00:19:22.09
about what happens at
death since the beginning.
00:19:22.12\00:19:27.30
What about
spiritualism in the last days?
00:19:27.30\00:19:30.00
What is that going to look like?
00:19:30.03\00:19:31.63
Are we seeing any
evidence of it today?
00:19:31.67\00:19:34.64
How are people going
to be misled, confused
00:19:34.67\00:19:38.77
by spiritualism
in the last days?
00:19:38.81\00:19:41.21
>>Mark: You
know, when you look at
00:19:41.24\00:19:42.38
what's taking
place in the media,
00:19:42.41\00:19:44.65
whether it's
Hollywood, the social media,
00:19:44.68\00:19:47.15
when you're looking
at what's taking place
00:19:47.18\00:19:48.98
in many of the
bestselling novels,
00:19:49.02\00:19:51.42
the devil is
conditioning the minds of people
00:19:51.45\00:19:54.12
to accept the
spiritualistic delusions
00:19:54.16\00:19:57.19
that are coming
in the last days.
00:19:57.23\00:19:59.23
Hollywood is shaping our
mind with the whole concept
00:19:59.26\00:20:02.06
of appearances of the dead.
00:20:02.10\00:20:03.93
In fact, many Christians
have gotten on board that,
00:20:03.97\00:20:08.20
with the idea of the NDEs,
the near-death experiences,
00:20:08.24\00:20:12.34
where they believe
that a person who has died,
00:20:12.37\00:20:15.51
they've gone on
to another world,
00:20:15.54\00:20:18.08
but then they come back, and
they live to tell about the fact
00:20:18.11\00:20:22.35
that they saw another world.
00:20:22.38\00:20:24.35
I should say something about
these near-death experiences,
00:20:24.39\00:20:28.19
unless anybody
be deceived by them.
00:20:28.22\00:20:30.59
What is the story
about near-death experiences?
00:20:30.63\00:20:33.09
There's a couple
things to keep in mind.
00:20:33.13\00:20:35.80
Number one, could
this possibly be of God?
00:20:35.83\00:20:38.63
Because when you look
at near-death experiences,
00:20:38.67\00:20:40.97
people always say,
"Oh, we went to heaven,"
00:20:41.00\00:20:45.34
or, "We saw this being,
a beautiful brightness."
00:20:45.37\00:20:48.74
They don't talk about judgment,
they don't talk about, ever,
00:20:48.78\00:20:51.88
about going into another
world and facing eternal loss--
00:20:51.91\00:20:57.65
not at all. What
they talk about is,
00:20:57.69\00:20:59.82
"We saw this beautiful world."
00:20:59.85\00:21:01.52
Whoever they are,
that's what they say.
00:21:01.56\00:21:04.19
The other thing to keep
in mind is the Bible says
00:21:04.23\00:21:06.76
in Hebrews, chapter 9,
"[We were] appointed unto men
00:21:06.80\00:21:09.73
once to die,...
[then] the judgment."
00:21:09.76\00:21:11.57
So we don't die, then
come back and die again.
00:21:11.60\00:21:14.64
In Job, chapter 7, it
talks about that when you die,
00:21:14.67\00:21:17.67
nobody can return
to their house again.
00:21:17.71\00:21:21.21
So the devil is
trying to deceive people.
00:21:21.24\00:21:24.48
What about
near-death experiences?
00:21:24.51\00:21:26.55
Are there any possibilities?
00:21:26.58\00:21:28.38
There are three
possibilities that I see
00:21:28.42\00:21:31.02
in near-death experiences.
00:21:31.05\00:21:32.82
One, there's the pharmacological
impact of the drugs
00:21:32.85\00:21:36.39
on the mind where experience--
00:21:36.42\00:21:38.33
a person may
experience some hallucination.
00:21:38.36\00:21:41.13
Secondly, a person who
strongly believes that the soul
00:21:41.16\00:21:45.27
is immortal has
that kind of experience.
00:21:45.30\00:21:49.60
Thirdly, the devil deceives
that person into perceiving
00:21:49.64\00:21:54.84
that they had that experience.
00:21:54.88\00:21:56.18
It's not a real experience,
but it's a perceived experience.
00:21:56.21\00:21:59.15
Why might the
devil be doing this?
00:21:59.18\00:22:01.25
Let's look at some of
the warnings that Jesus
00:22:01.28\00:22:04.42
gives in this area.
00:22:04.45\00:22:06.45
You're going to take your Bible
and turn to Matthew, chapter 24.
00:22:06.49\00:22:10.83
Matthew, chapter 24,
00:22:10.86\00:22:12.83
the devil is preparing
to deceive men and women.
00:22:12.86\00:22:18.03
And if you look at
Matthew, chapter 24,
00:22:18.07\00:22:22.00
let your eyes drop down,
for example, to verse 24.
00:22:22.04\00:22:26.74
Matthew 24, verse 24,
00:22:26.78\00:22:29.01
Pastor Eric, could
you read that please?
00:22:29.04\00:22:30.85
>>Eric: "For false
christs and false prophets
00:22:30.88\00:22:32.81
"will rise and show great
signs and wonders to deceive,
00:22:32.85\00:22:36.32
if possible, even the elect."
00:22:36.35\00:22:38.65
>>Mark: False christs and
false prophets shall arise.
00:22:38.69\00:22:41.36
Could it be that
the devil masquerades
00:22:41.39\00:22:45.39
as one of the prophets through
one of his fallen angels?
00:22:45.43\00:22:49.53
And they show great signs
and wonders before our eyes,
00:22:49.56\00:22:52.40
apparently coming back
to us trying to share--
00:22:52.43\00:22:56.97
to say that the
teachings of the Bible
00:22:57.01\00:23:00.14
now relate only to love
and certainly not obedience.
00:23:00.18\00:23:03.04
And it's not
necessary to keep God's law.
00:23:03.08\00:23:07.18
Signs and wonders will be one
of the ways the devil deceives.
00:23:07.22\00:23:09.88
Let's go over to
Revelation, chapter 16.
00:23:09.92\00:23:15.29
We notice throughout Scripture
00:23:15.32\00:23:17.23
the devil is
going to try to deceive
00:23:17.26\00:23:20.13
in a variety of ways.
00:23:20.16\00:23:22.76
Revelation, the 16th chapter,
the 13th and 14th verses,
00:23:22.80\00:23:28.50
go ahead and read those, please.
00:23:28.54\00:23:30.41
>>Eric: "And I saw
three unclean spirits
00:23:30.44\00:23:32.44
"like frogs coming out
of the mouth of the dragon,
00:23:32.47\00:23:35.01
"out of the mouth of the beast,
00:23:35.04\00:23:36.38
"and out of the
mouth of the false prophet.
00:23:36.41\00:23:38.88
"For they are spirits of
demons, performing signs,
00:23:38.91\00:23:41.85
"which go out to
the kings of the earth
00:23:41.88\00:23:43.89
"and of the whole world,
to gather them to the battle
00:23:43.92\00:23:46.65
of that great
day of God Almighty."
00:23:46.69\00:23:49.16
>>Mark: So here you
have in the last days
00:23:49.19\00:23:52.06
the three unclean
spirits, and these come out of--
00:23:52.09\00:23:58.17
and the false prophet--
they're spirits of demons.
00:23:58.20\00:24:01.14
They deceive the
kings of the earth.
00:24:01.17\00:24:03.41
Now notice also Revelation 13,
00:24:03.44\00:24:07.41
and you could
read verse 13 and 14.
00:24:07.44\00:24:10.01
What we're showing
here is the devil is going
00:24:10.05\00:24:12.41
to use spiritualism in
the last days to deceive.
00:24:12.45\00:24:15.42
>>Eric: "He
performs great signs, so that
00:24:15.45\00:24:17.29
"he even makes fire come
down from heaven on the earth
00:24:17.32\00:24:20.62
"in the sight of men.
00:24:20.66\00:24:22.02
"And he deceives
those who dwell on the earth
00:24:22.06\00:24:24.36
"by those signs
which he was granted to do
00:24:24.39\00:24:27.13
"in the sight of the
beast, telling those who dwell
00:24:27.20\00:24:29.93
"on the earth to make an image
to the beast who was wounded
00:24:29.96\00:24:32.70
by the sword and lived."
00:24:32.73\00:24:34.27
>>Mark: Both in Matthew 24,
Revelation 13, Revelation 16,
00:24:34.30\00:24:38.11
Satan deceives by
signs and wonders.
00:24:38.14\00:24:40.24
Now, Ellen
White rounds that out.
00:24:40.28\00:24:43.88
She expands on those passages,
00:24:43.91\00:24:45.91
and I'd like to
look at two passages.
00:24:45.95\00:24:47.75
I'll read them both.
00:24:47.78\00:24:49.18
One is in Wednesday's lesson
in the second-to-last paragraph,
00:24:49.22\00:24:53.36
beginning with, "Satan
has long been preparing
00:24:53.39\00:24:56.36
for his final effort
to deceive the world."
00:24:56.39\00:24:58.56
How's he's going to do that?
00:24:58.59\00:24:59.93
Listen, "Little by
little he has prepared the way
00:24:59.96\00:25:02.16
"for his
masterpiece of deception
00:25:02.20\00:25:04.40
in the
development of spiritualism."
00:25:04.43\00:25:06.40
That's interesting
sentence: "little by little."
00:25:06.43\00:25:09.20
Through Hollywood,
through mass media,
00:25:09.24\00:25:12.37
through movies,
through TV programs,
00:25:12.41\00:25:15.41
through books that
are written, bestsellers.
00:25:15.44\00:25:18.31
"Little by little
he has prepared the way
00:25:18.35\00:25:19.91
"for his
masterpiece of deception
00:25:19.95\00:25:21.95
"in the
development of spiritualism.
00:25:21.98\00:25:23.65
"He has not yet
reached the full accomplishment
00:25:23.69\00:25:25.85
"of his designs;
but it will be reached
00:25:25.89\00:25:27.92
"in the last remnant of time....
00:25:27.96\00:25:29.62
"Except those who are
kept by the power of God,
00:25:29.66\00:25:32.79
"through faith in His word,
the whole world will be swept
00:25:32.83\00:25:36.40
into the ranks
of this delusion."
00:25:36.43\00:25:38.33
That's spiritualism.
00:25:38.37\00:25:39.70
Now, last day's--
Thursday's lesson,
00:25:39.73\00:25:44.21
last paragraph,
what's the crowning act
00:25:44.24\00:25:45.87
in the drama of deception?
00:25:45.91\00:25:48.04
"As the crowning
act"-- last paragraph--
00:25:48.08\00:25:50.15
"in the...drama of deception,
00:25:50.18\00:25:51.78
"Satan himself
will personate Christ.
00:25:51.81\00:25:54.08
"The church has
long professed to look
00:25:54.12\00:25:55.75
"to the Saviour's advent as
the consummation of her hopes.
00:25:55.78\00:25:59.09
"Now the great
deceiver will make it appear
00:25:59.12\00:26:01.29
"that Christ has come. In
different parts of the earth,
00:26:01.32\00:26:03.93
"Satan will manifest himself
00:26:03.96\00:26:05.93
"among men as a majestic
being of dazzling brightness,
00:26:05.96\00:26:08.93
"resembling the
description of the Son of God
00:26:08.96\00:26:11.80
given by John in...Revelation."
00:26:11.83\00:26:14.10
That's "The Great
Controversy," page 624.
00:26:14.14\00:26:17.07
So let me draw
this picture for--
00:26:17.11\00:26:20.74
what the devil is doing is this.
00:26:20.78\00:26:23.21
The devil is, right now,
preparing people to accept
00:26:23.24\00:26:28.82
his final
overmastering delusion.
00:26:28.85\00:26:32.02
When you turn from
the clear teachings
00:26:32.05\00:26:34.62
of the Word of God
and depend on signs,
00:26:34.66\00:26:38.43
wonders, and emotionalism
in religion, that leads you
00:26:38.46\00:26:43.37
to be predisposed to
the deceptions of Satan.
00:26:43.40\00:26:47.84
So the idea of
the immortal soul,
00:26:47.87\00:26:49.77
the idea that the dead live on,
00:26:49.80\00:26:51.67
the idea that at
times those dead may die
00:26:51.71\00:26:55.98
but not be dead but come
back and appear to the living,
00:26:56.01\00:26:59.65
the idea that there's
gonna be this great revival--
00:26:59.68\00:27:06.19
and the devil can do
a counterfeit revival,
00:27:06.22\00:27:08.46
appear as Christ--
what is our safety?
00:27:08.49\00:27:11.43
Our safety is the
Word of the living God.
00:27:11.46\00:27:14.73
>>Eric: Pastor Mark,
thank you for helping us
00:27:14.76\00:27:16.30
to see some of how spiritualism
00:27:16.33\00:27:19.17
has worked its way
into the world today,
00:27:19.20\00:27:21.84
and you're going to
see more and more of that.
00:27:21.87\00:27:24.11
So now you know
what to watch out for.
00:27:24.14\00:27:27.91
We have three more
studies left in this quarter
00:27:27.94\00:27:31.35
as we look at "The
Great Controversy."
00:27:31.38\00:27:33.92
We're looking at some
very significant subjects
00:27:33.95\00:27:36.99
coming up over the
next three lessons.
00:27:37.02\00:27:38.75
You do not want to miss them.
00:27:38.79\00:27:40.29
So we will look forward
to seeing you back again
00:27:40.32\00:27:42.19
here very soon
on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:42.22\00:27:44.43
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