If a man dies,
shall he live again?
00:00:01.60\00:00:04.19
What does it mean to
be absent from the body
00:00:06.72\00:00:09.79
and present with the Lord?
00:00:09.83\00:00:11.27
Did Jesus go with a thief
to Paradise on Good Friday?
00:00:13.38\00:00:17.61
Did the souls of
dead people really cry out
00:00:19.28\00:00:22.36
from below the altar?
00:00:22.40\00:00:23.73
Pastor Bohr answers
these questions, and more,
00:00:25.24\00:00:28.01
in the amazing series,
00:00:28.04\00:00:29.55
Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
00:00:35.62\00:00:37.21
Our Father and our
God, what a joy it is
00:00:37.24\00:00:42.55
to be in Your presence.
00:00:42.58\00:00:43.70
And Father, as we study tonight
about the thief on the cross,
00:00:43.74\00:00:50.24
and the witch of En Dor, we ask
that You will help us to learn
00:00:50.27\00:00:55.34
the lessons that will be useful
for us, especially as we near
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the end of time. And we thank
You, Father, for the assurance
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of Your presence, because
we ask it in the precious name
00:01:04.12\00:01:08.05
of Jesus. Amen. In this seminar
we are studying some puzzling
00:01:08.08\00:01:15.98
texts on the subject
of the state of the dead.
00:01:16.02\00:01:19.23
And in the subject that
we're going to study today,
00:01:19.26\00:01:23.13
we are going to take a
look at two stories that we find
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in the Bible. One story is
found in the New Testament,
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and the other one is
found in the Old Testament.
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The first one we're going
to deal with is the story of
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the thief on the cross.
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And the second one is
dealing with the story
00:01:38.92\00:01:43.01
of the witch of En Dor.
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So let's get right into our
study, and turn in our Bibles
00:01:44.70\00:01:48.13
to Luke 23:32, 33. Probably
most of you know that when Jesus
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was crucified, two men were
crucified as well on either side
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of Jesus. They
were actually criminals.
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They were malefactors.
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And so let's read about these
two thieves that were crucified;
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one on the right, and one
on the left-hand side of Jesus.
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It says there:
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Now it just so happens that the
criminal that was on the left
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side was impenitent.
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He was unrepentant, whereas
the one who was on the right
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side actually repented,
according to scripture.
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Let's read about
this in Luke 23:39-43.
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Luke 23:39-43.
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Now that last verse, verse
43, has been the source of much
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controversy, because Jesus seems
to be indicating here that the
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thief was going to be in
Paradise with Him that very day.
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Once again, verse 43, and I'm
reading from the New King James
00:04:02.48\00:04:06.31
Version which says, And Jesus
said to him, Assuredly I say
00:04:06.34\00:04:10.14
to you, today you will
be with Me in Paradise.
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The question is, is this
really what Jesus was teaching?
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Well, there are several factors
that we need to take into
00:04:18.46\00:04:22.72
account as we look at the
meaning of this specific verse,
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verse 43. First of all, it's
very important for us to realize
00:04:27.39\00:04:33.14
that the Greek writings of
the times of Christ did not have
00:04:33.18\00:04:38.90
any punctuation marks.
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In other words, they
did not have question marks,
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exclamation marks. They didn't
have periods, and commas, etc.
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All of these punctuation
marks have been added
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by the translators. So,
basically, the translators from
00:04:51.86\00:04:55.15
the Greek to the English,
or whatever other language,
00:04:55.18\00:04:58.41
have placed the punctuation
marks where they feel that they
00:04:58.44\00:05:01.95
should belong. Now there are two
ways in which you can understand
00:05:01.99\00:05:06.78
this verse. It all depends
on where you place a comma.
00:05:06.82\00:05:11.87
We've already noticed, first
of all, that the translation
00:05:11.91\00:05:16.93
that we just read says:
00:05:16.97\00:05:18.79
So, in other words, the comma
is placed after the word thee,
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or you. But there's
another way of looking at this.
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There's another place
where you can put the comma,
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and then it would say: Verily,
verily I say unto thee today,
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you will be with me in Paradise.
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In other words, the comma
would go after the word today.
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So Jesus is saying, today I
am telling you that you will be
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with Me in Paradise.
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Or the comma could be, Verily I
say unto you, today you will be
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with Me in Paradise.
00:06:01.30\00:06:03.18
Now somebody might say,
Well, then, it's a matter of
00:06:03.21\00:06:05.87
subjective opinion.
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You know, you say it's supposed
to go after the word today,
00:06:07.04\00:06:13.05
and other people say that it's
supposed to be after the word
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you. So how do we
know who is right?
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Well, the fact is we need
to look at several factors that
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clearly indicate that Jesus and
the thief did not go to Paradise
00:06:24.60\00:06:28.68
that very day. The first
thing that we want to notice is
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the location of Paradise.
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Where is Paradise located?
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Where Jesus said, You
will be with Me in Paradise.
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Let's go in our Bibles
to 2 Corinthians 12:2-4.
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Here the Apostle Paul
is speaking about a man
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that he knew many years before.
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He's probably
referring to himself.
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And he speaks about this person
being taken to the third heaven.
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It says there in
2 Corinthians 12:2:
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By the way, this means, I
don't know whether he went there
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in person, or he was there in
vision, like John in the book of
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Revelation. You know, he was
taken to the presence of God.
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His body was on Patmos,
but his mind was taken up to
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see the New Jerusalem.
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And he continues
saying, in verse 3.
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Actually, let's go back
to the beginning. It says:
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So you'll notice here that the
third heaven is the place where
00:08:03.29\00:08:07.45
Paradise is located, because the
Apostle Paul says that this man
00:08:07.49\00:08:11.62
was taken to the third heaven.
00:08:11.65\00:08:12.88
Then he says that he
was caught up to Paradise.
00:08:12.91\00:08:15.19
Paradise is in the third heaven.
00:08:15.22\00:08:17.26
So the question is,
what is the third heaven?
00:08:17.29\00:08:20.34
Well, obviously, if there's
a third heaven, there must be a
00:08:20.38\00:08:23.57
second, and a first.
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So the question is,
what is the first heaven?
00:08:24.67\00:08:27.59
Go with me to Genesis 1:8.
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Genesis 1:8. Speaking about the
first heaven, that refers to the
00:08:30.72\00:08:36.83
atmosphere where
the birds fly. It says:
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So notice, the
firmament is called heaven;
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That's the first
heaven where the birds fly.
00:08:49.24\00:08:52.30
The second heaven
is where the stars are.
00:08:52.33\00:08:55.32
Notice Genesis 15:5, as an
example of this second heaven.
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It's the heaven where the
stars and the planets are found.
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It says there, God is
speaking here to Abraham,
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So God told Abraham to
look towards the heaven.
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Obviously, He's talking
about the starry heaven;
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that is the second
heaven of scripture.
00:09:26.35\00:09:29.42
Now where is the third heaven?
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The third heaven is actually
the place where God dwells.
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It's where the New Jerusalem is.
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It's beyond the sun,
the moon, and the stars;
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in deep space somewhere.
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Now you say,
How do we know that?
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Well, let's examine some verses.
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Go with me to Revelation 2:7.
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Revelation 2:7. I want you
to notice where the tree of life
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is located. It says
there in Revelation 2:7:
00:09:58.83\00:10:02.17
Question, where is
the tree of life located?
00:10:19.17\00:10:22.29
It is located in the
midst of the Paradise of God.
00:10:22.32\00:10:25.53
Is that the same place that the
Apostle Paul was referring to
00:10:25.56\00:10:28.23
in 2 Corinthians 12? Absolutely!
00:10:28.26\00:10:31.28
Now, the question is, where
is the tree of life located
00:10:31.32\00:10:35.84
in the Paradise of God?
00:10:35.87\00:10:37.21
Where is that Paradise of God?
00:10:37.25\00:10:38.91
Go with me to Revelation 22:1-2.
00:10:38.94\00:10:43.27
Revelation 22:1, 2.
Here John, in vision, says:
00:10:43.31\00:10:51.22
What is there? The
throne of God and of the Lamb.
00:11:00.95\00:11:04.40
That's the presence of
God, in other words. Verse 2:
00:11:04.43\00:11:07.84
Which street, which city?
00:11:09.87\00:11:11.79
The New Jerusalem, Right?
00:11:11.82\00:11:13.71
Now let's put it all together.
00:11:32.60\00:11:34.39
The third heaven
is where Paradise is.
00:11:34.43\00:11:37.20
The tree of life is in Paradise.
00:11:37.23\00:11:39.83
And Paradise is where
the throne of God is found
00:11:39.87\00:11:43.81
in the New Jerusalem.
00:11:43.84\00:11:44.87
So the question is, where
is the Paradise that Jesus was
00:11:44.90\00:11:49.04
referring to when He said
to this thief that He would be
00:11:49.07\00:11:53.18
with him in Paradise.
00:11:53.21\00:11:54.64
It was not some
intermediary place.
00:11:54.68\00:11:58.18
It was in the New Jerusalem,
where the throne of God is,
00:11:58.22\00:12:02.05
where the tree of life is.
00:12:02.08\00:12:03.67
In other words, it was
in the very presence of God,
00:12:03.71\00:12:06.94
so if Jesus was promising
this thief that he was going
00:12:06.97\00:12:09.61
to be in Paradise, He was
saying, You're going to be
00:12:09.65\00:12:12.25
in the New Jerusalem.
00:12:12.29\00:12:13.32
You're going to be
before the throne of God,
00:12:13.35\00:12:15.68
where the tree of life is found.
00:12:15.72\00:12:18.54
By the way, we also want
to read Revelation 22:14,
00:12:18.58\00:12:23.15
where it speaks once
again about the location
00:12:23.18\00:12:26.43
of the tree of life.
00:12:26.46\00:12:27.56
The tree of life is inside
the gates of the Holy City
00:12:27.59\00:12:30.72
of the New Jerusalem, in
the very presence of God.
00:12:30.76\00:12:33.82
Here it says:
00:12:33.86\00:12:35.38
Now, unfortunately, during
the intertestamental period,
00:12:46.77\00:12:49.44
that's the period between
the Old and the New Testament.
00:12:49.47\00:12:52.08
Actually, between when
the Old Testament ended
00:12:52.11\00:12:54.84
and John the
Baptist began his preaching.
00:12:54.87\00:12:56.98
The Jews developed a
very strange tradition
00:12:57.02\00:13:00.48
about Paradise. Basically
they came up with the idea that
00:13:00.51\00:13:04.77
Paradise was kind of like a
holding place, where people went
00:13:04.81\00:13:09.03
for awhile before they actually
entered the presence of God.
00:13:09.06\00:13:13.36
You know, Protestants
have picked up that idea,
00:13:13.39\00:13:16.81
and basically, they've taught
that all of the saints of the
00:13:16.85\00:13:20.26
Old Testament, before
Jesus died, their souls went off
00:13:20.30\00:13:24.42
to Paradise, and they were held
there in Paradise until Jesus'
00:13:24.45\00:13:28.86
resurrected, and then they
were introduced into the very
00:13:28.90\00:13:32.54
presence of God. Now the
question is, does that square
00:13:32.57\00:13:36.18
with the teaching of scripture?
00:13:36.21\00:13:37.49
Absolutely not, because we
already noticed that the third
00:13:37.53\00:13:41.67
heaven is where Paradise is.
00:13:41.71\00:13:43.64
And where Paradise is,
is in the New Jerusalem,
00:13:43.68\00:13:46.89
where the tree of life is, and
where the throne of God and the
00:13:46.92\00:13:51.06
Lamb is found. And so, very
clearly, Jesus was not saying
00:13:51.10\00:13:55.17
to the thief, You're going to
go to some intermediary place;
00:13:55.20\00:13:59.24
your soul is going to go to this
place, and then you're going
00:13:59.27\00:14:03.26
be introduced in
the presence of God.
00:14:03.29\00:14:05.37
He was saying, if Jesus
was saying that it was going to
00:14:05.41\00:14:08.78
happen that very day, He was
saying, This very day you are
00:14:08.82\00:14:12.16
going to be with Me
in the presence of God.
00:14:12.20\00:14:14.42
If you translate the verse
the way that the New King James,
00:14:14.46\00:14:18.44
and the King James have it
translated, which I believe
00:14:18.48\00:14:21.37
is the wrong translation.
00:14:21.41\00:14:22.95
Now, the question that we need
to ask now is, where did Jesus
00:14:22.98\00:14:29.36
go when He died,
according to the Bible?
00:14:29.39\00:14:33.80
Did He go to this
place called Paradise?
00:14:33.83\00:14:38.17
Yes, He might have gone
to Paradise, do you think?
00:14:38.20\00:14:42.16
I don't think so.
You say, How do you know?
00:14:42.20\00:14:46.50
Because the Bible tells us.
00:14:46.53\00:14:49.57
Go with me to Acts 2:25-27.
00:14:49.61\00:14:52.58
Acts 2:25-27. Peter is speaking
here on the Day of Pentecost,
00:14:52.62\00:15:00.43
and he's speaking about
Jesus using a Messianic prophecy
00:15:00.46\00:15:04.60
that's found in Psalms 16:10.
00:15:04.63\00:15:07.70
That is concerning Jesus.
00:15:10.44\00:15:11.95
Here Jesus is speaking
Messianically is Psalms 16:10
00:15:28.09\00:15:31.87
about a thousand years
before this event takes place.
00:15:31.91\00:15:35.65
Then notice verse 27:
00:15:35.69\00:15:38.09
Now I want you to notice the
synonymous parallelism in this
00:15:47.81\00:15:52.37
verse. Actually, verse 27:
For you will not leave My soul
00:15:52.40\00:15:56.93
in Hades, nor will you allow
your Holy One to see corruption.
00:15:56.96\00:16:00.96
Do you see the parallel?
00:16:01.00\00:16:02.03
My soul is
parallel to Your Holy One.
00:16:02.06\00:16:05.18
And the word Hades is
in parallel construct with
00:16:05.21\00:16:09.68
corruption. Now I'd like to read
this verse as it's found in the
00:16:09.71\00:16:13.77
New International Version,
because it's more accurate
00:16:13.81\00:16:17.34
in its meaning. The
NIV, Acts 2:27 says this:
00:16:17.38\00:16:23.21
Now notice: Me, in
other words the soul is Jesus.
00:16:34.46\00:16:38.76
So the question is, where
did Jesus go when He died?
00:16:53.36\00:16:58.08
Did He go to Paradise?
00:16:58.11\00:17:00.32
Did He go to the presence
of God in the New Jerusalem
00:17:00.35\00:17:03.36
before the throne
where the tree of life is?
00:17:03.39\00:17:05.77
Absolutely not! Acts 2:27 tells
us very clearly that He went
00:17:05.80\00:17:11.84
to the grave, and that God
was not going to abandon Him
00:17:11.87\00:17:16.10
in the grave. Now we
need to ask another question.
00:17:16.13\00:17:19.96
Did the thief
even die that very day?
00:17:19.99\00:17:24.24
Notice John 19:31-34.
00:17:24.27\00:17:29.21
John 19:31-34. It says there:
00:17:29.24\00:17:35.43
The Jews asked Pilate, notice
this, that their legs might be
00:17:45.56\00:17:50.76
broken, and that
they might be taken away.
00:17:50.79\00:17:55.09
So were the thieves dead
on that day when Jesus died?
00:17:55.12\00:17:58.68
Absolutely not!
Let's continue, verse 32:
00:17:58.71\00:18:01.53
Then the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the first,
00:18:01.56\00:18:04.85
and of the other who
was crucified with him.
00:18:04.88\00:18:07.40
So the question is, were the
thieves dead that day on their
00:18:21.71\00:18:27.86
crosses? Absolutely not!
00:18:27.89\00:18:29.69
When they came to where
Jesus was Jesus was dead,
00:18:29.72\00:18:34.35
but the thieves
were still alive.
00:18:34.38\00:18:37.00
By the way, at what hour
of the day did Jesus die?
00:18:37.03\00:18:41.27
Notice Matthew 27:46, and
we'll read through verse 50.
00:18:41.30\00:18:47.67
Matthew 27:46-50. It says here:
00:18:47.70\00:18:52.47
By the way, the ninth
hour is about three o'clock
00:18:54.54\00:18:56.25
in the afternoon. The
first hour would be six o'clock
00:18:56.29\00:18:59.64
in the morning. So they
calculated time just a little
00:18:59.68\00:19:03.00
different than we do.
00:19:03.04\00:19:04.07
So it says, about the ninth
hour, which is three o'clock
00:19:04.10\00:19:06.97
in the afternoon.
00:19:07.01\00:19:08.04
At what time did Jesus die?
00:19:44.36\00:19:45.99
He died at the ninth hour, which
would be about three o'clock
00:19:46.03\00:19:49.13
in the afternoon. Were the
thieves dead at three o'clock
00:19:49.16\00:19:53.06
in the
afternoon? Absolutely not!
00:19:53.09\00:19:54.88
In fact there are cases that
are known to have taken place
00:19:54.91\00:19:59.68
in Rome where thieves and
malefactors were crucified
00:19:59.72\00:20:05.30
and they actually lived for
days after their crucifixion.
00:20:05.34\00:20:09.19
And so the thieves were not
dead that day, and therefore
00:20:09.23\00:20:13.04
the penitent thief could not
have gone with Jesus that very
00:20:13.07\00:20:16.35
day to paradise. Furthermore,
I want us to notice Luke 23:42.
00:20:16.38\00:20:22.97
Luke 23:42. When is it that the
thief wanted Jesus to remember
00:20:23.00\00:20:31.68
him so that he
could be with Jesus?
00:20:31.71\00:20:34.92
Was it at the moment of death,
or was it at some future moment?
00:20:34.95\00:20:39.44
Notice Luke 23:42.
00:20:39.47\00:20:42.21
Now the question is, when
did Jesus come into His kingdom?
00:20:51.18\00:20:54.94
Did Jesus come into
His kingdom that very day?
00:20:54.98\00:20:58.39
Absolutely not! We know from
scripture that Jesus did not
00:20:58.43\00:21:02.36
ascend to Heaven to take
over the kingdom, along with His
00:21:02.40\00:21:06.26
Father, to sit at the right hand
of His Father, until forty days
00:21:06.30\00:21:10.96
after the resurrection
according to Acts 1.
00:21:11.00\00:21:14.40
So, in other words, Jesus did
not enter His kingdom that day.
00:21:14.43\00:21:18.07
And so the thief could not have
entered that kingdom with Jesus
00:21:18.10\00:21:23.53
on that very day. Another
thing that we want to notice is
00:21:23.56\00:21:27.83
according to John
20:1 Jesus resurrected
00:21:27.86\00:21:33.90
the first day of the week.
00:21:33.94\00:21:35.48
Notice John 20:1. It says:
00:21:35.51\00:21:40.24
So very clearly,
Jesus resurrects on the
00:21:50.37\00:21:54.53
first day of the week.
00:21:54.56\00:21:55.92
And yet we're going to
find something very interesting
00:21:55.95\00:21:58.86
in that same chapter.
00:21:58.90\00:22:00.15
In verse 17 Jesus had something
very interesting to say.
00:22:00.18\00:22:04.18
Notice John 20:17.
00:22:04.22\00:22:07.07
That is to Mary.
00:22:09.22\00:22:10.49
Interesting that on resurrection
morning Jesus is saying to Mary,
00:22:26.02\00:22:30.70
the first day of the week, He's
saying, I have not yet ascended
00:22:30.74\00:22:35.63
to My Father. So how could Jesus
on Friday have gone to Paradise
00:22:35.67\00:22:40.52
to the very presence of
the throne of His Father,
00:22:40.55\00:22:43.06
if the day of the resurrection
He says, I have not yet ascended
00:22:43.09\00:22:47.85
to My Father? By the way, Jesus
must have ascended that very day
00:22:47.88\00:22:52.61
at least for a moment, and then
come back, because we're told
00:22:52.64\00:22:56.32
in Luke 24:39 that that evening
Jesus encouraged His followers
00:22:56.35\00:23:04.49
to touch Him. It
says there in Luke 24:39,
00:23:04.52\00:23:08.60
So there are all sorts
of reasons why Jesus did not
00:23:25.24\00:23:29.70
go with the thief to
Paradise that very day.
00:23:29.74\00:23:33.59
First of all, we notice that
the thief probably did not die
00:23:33.62\00:23:38.57
that very day. Secondly,
Jesus did not enter His Kingdom
00:23:38.61\00:23:43.22
on that very day. Furthermore,
Jesus the third day said,
00:23:43.25\00:23:47.82
I have not yet
ascended to My Father.
00:23:47.86\00:23:49.99
And we notice that Paradise is
the place where God the Father's
00:23:50.03\00:23:54.74
throne is found
in the New Jerusalem
00:23:54.78\00:23:57.54
where the tree of life is.
00:23:57.57\00:23:59.09
So on that day Jesus didn't
go to Paradise, and the thief
00:23:59.13\00:24:04.98
did not go to Paradise either.
00:24:05.02\00:24:06.80
So how should we
translate this verse in Luke 23?
00:24:06.83\00:24:13.69
On the basis of all of the
evidence that we've looked at,
00:24:13.73\00:24:17.30
there's no doubt that it should
be translated: Verily, verily,
00:24:17.34\00:24:22.02
I say unto you today, you
will be with Me in Paradise.
00:24:22.06\00:24:26.51
In other words, today
I'm telling you that someday
00:24:26.54\00:24:30.93
you will be with me in Paradise
when I enter my Kingdom.
00:24:30.96\00:24:34.92
By the way, this was an
idiomatic way of speaking
00:24:34.95\00:24:39.41
among the Jews. Notice,
for example, Deuteronomy 30:18,
00:24:39.44\00:24:45.34
Deuteronomy 30:18. It says
there, and it's not talking
00:24:45.37\00:24:51.25
about the same topic, but
I want you to see that it was
00:24:51.29\00:24:54.12
common for the Jews to
say, today something was going
00:24:54.15\00:24:58.42
to happen in the future.
00:24:58.45\00:24:59.72
It says there in
Deuteronomy 30:18,
00:24:59.75\00:25:02.17
So notice once again the same
idea, I announce to you today
00:25:17.62\00:25:22.17
that you shall surely perish.
00:25:22.20\00:25:24.36
They weren't going
to perish that very day,
00:25:24.40\00:25:25.99
but God was saying that day
that they would in the future
00:25:26.03\00:25:29.90
perish. And so, this text has no
foundation for teaching that the
00:25:29.93\00:25:36.53
soul of that man,
and the soul of Jesus,
00:25:36.60\00:25:40.45
went together to
Paradise that very day.
00:25:40.49\00:25:44.10
The fact is the
thief wasn't dead,
00:25:44.13\00:25:46.48
and Jesus went to the grave.
00:25:46.51\00:25:48.53
Jesus did not go to Paradise.
00:25:48.96\00:25:51.24
Jesus did not actually go
to the presence of His Father
00:25:51.28\00:25:55.10
until the third day when
He finally said that evening,
00:25:55.14\00:25:58.92
now you can touch me.
00:25:58.96\00:26:01.09
Now we need to go to the second
episode that we're going to
00:26:01.13\00:26:05.56
study this evening,
and that's the story
00:26:05.59\00:26:07.69
of the witch of En Dor.
00:26:07.73\00:26:10.15
It's found in 1 Samuel 28.
00:26:10.18\00:26:12.53
1 Samuel 28. Let me give you
just a little bit of background.
00:26:12.57\00:26:18.67
It seems like King Saul had been
more concerned about persecuting
00:26:18.71\00:26:24.78
David than he had been
about administering the kingdom
00:26:24.81\00:26:29.35
wisely. And as a result he
had ignored the Philistines,
00:26:29.39\00:26:33.89
and the Philistines
had become very powerful,
00:26:33.93\00:26:36.43
and had taken over much of
the kingdom that had belonged
00:26:36.46\00:26:40.77
to Israel. You see, Saul was
so obsessed with getting rid of
00:26:40.81\00:26:45.12
David that he simply ignored the
kingdom, and he did not spend
00:26:45.15\00:26:49.77
any time administrating it,
and defending it from the hands
00:26:49.80\00:26:55.25
of the Philistines. And so we
find in 1 Samuel 20:5 that Saul
00:26:55.29\00:27:00.71
was very much concerned
and worried about the progress
00:27:00.75\00:27:05.69
and the growth of the
Philistines. It says there:
00:27:05.72\00:27:08.68
And so Saul wanted to have the
assurance that somehow he was
00:27:18.12\00:27:21.90
going to be delivered from
the hands of the Philistines.
00:27:21.93\00:27:25.65
Now there were normal ways
in which he could have consulted
00:27:25.69\00:27:30.02
the Lord to find out if when the
Philistines came against him,
00:27:30.05\00:27:34.35
he was going to be delivered.
00:27:34.39\00:27:36.31
Notice 1 Samuel 28:6.
00:27:36.35\00:27:39.93
1 Samuel 28:6. It says:
00:27:39.97\00:27:43.52
Notice, the Lord
did not answer him.
00:27:49.56\00:27:53.19
In other words, God did
not use any of the conventional
00:28:00.18\00:28:04.30
ways of communicating
His will to King Saul,
00:28:04.33\00:28:08.10
which was prophets, and visions,
and the Urim and the Thummim.
00:28:08.14\00:28:12.56
God simply chose
not to answer Saul.
00:28:12.60\00:28:17.02
Now it's interesting to notice
that at this point the prophet
00:28:17.06\00:28:21.39
Samuel had died
and he had been buried.
00:28:21.42\00:28:24.49
Notice 1 Samuel 28:3.
00:28:24.52\00:28:27.93
1 Samuel 28:3 It says:
00:28:27.96\00:28:31.37
So notice that Samuel had
died and he had been buried.
00:28:52.23\00:28:58.04
And God did not answer Saul by
any of the conventional means.
00:28:58.27\00:29:03.94
And then we find in this story
that suddenly a being appears
00:29:03.98\00:29:09.62
to Saul, who purportedly
is the spirit of Samuel,
00:29:09.65\00:29:15.12
who had died and been buried.
00:29:15.15\00:29:17.14
Now I want to share with
you several reasons why this was
00:29:17.17\00:29:21.27
not really Samuel. First reason:
The Bible tells us very clearly
00:29:21.30\00:29:28.28
that the living know
that they are going to die,
00:29:28.31\00:29:31.95
but the dead know
absolutely nothing.
00:29:31.98\00:29:34.58
Notice Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.
00:29:34.61\00:29:38.59
Ecclesiastes
9:5, 6. It says there:
00:29:38.63\00:29:43.71
So in other words, the
dead don't know anything.
00:29:54.70\00:29:57.34
So if the dead don't
know anything, how could it be
00:29:57.37\00:29:59.98
Samuel who was appearing from
among the dead to King Saul?
00:30:00.02\00:30:04.76
It would have been
absolutely impossible.
00:30:04.79\00:30:07.67
Besides, would God violate the
very means that He had used to
00:30:07.70\00:30:11.73
communicate with His people,
and use a method that He Himself
00:30:11.76\00:30:15.75
had forbidden? Would God
use forbidden methods when He
00:30:15.78\00:30:19.69
could have used the
methods that He approved of?
00:30:19.72\00:30:21.93
Absolutely not. In fact, let's
notice that God had strictly
00:30:21.97\00:30:25.79
forbidden Israel from trying
to communicate with the dead.
00:30:25.82\00:30:29.61
Notice Leviticus
20:27; Leviticus 20:27.
00:30:29.65\00:30:36.81
Today they call them channelers.
00:30:41.37\00:30:44.30
Notice the punishment for people
who tried to communicate with
00:30:57.03\00:30:59.99
the dead. In other words,
they were to be put to death.
00:31:00.02\00:31:03.75
They were to be stoned.
00:31:03.78\00:31:05.53
Not only the medium, who claimed
to communicate with the dead,
00:31:05.56\00:31:09.68
but also those who
communicated with the dead.
00:31:09.72\00:31:12.55
Notice Leviticus 19:31.
00:31:12.58\00:31:15.32
This is another text that speaks
about God's forbidding this
00:31:15.36\00:31:20.73
method. Give no regard to
mediums, and familiar spirits.
00:31:20.77\00:31:26.11
Do not seek after
them to be defiled by them.
00:31:26.14\00:31:31.68
I am the Lord your God.
00:31:31.71\00:31:34.30
In other words, God had
forbidden strictly this idea of
00:31:34.33\00:31:39.05
trying to
communicate with the dead.
00:31:39.09\00:31:41.08
And here Saul wants to
have Samuel, who had died
00:31:41.12\00:31:45.16
and been buried
come to speak to him.
00:31:45.19\00:31:47.55
Would God have allowed Samuel to
go and speak to Saul, when God
00:31:47.59\00:31:53.91
had forbidden these methods,
and He could have used one of
00:31:53.95\00:31:56.86
the conventional methods?
00:31:56.90\00:31:58.07
Absolutely not. In fact
Saul knew that what he was doing
00:31:58.11\00:32:02.78
was wrong. Notice 1 Samuel 28:9.
00:32:02.81\00:32:06.94
1 Samuel 28:9. Saul had actually
done what the Lord had told him
00:32:06.98\00:32:12.19
to do, and that is cast
out all of these witches,
00:32:12.23\00:32:16.43
and all of these
wizards from the land.
00:32:16.47\00:32:19.52
It says there in
verse 9 of 1 Samuel 28:
00:32:19.55\00:32:22.56
You see, Saul knew that
the method that he was using
00:32:38.66\00:32:42.79
was wrong. In fact in 1
Samuel 28:7, 8 we find that
00:32:42.83\00:32:46.93
Saul even disguised himself
to try and fool this woman.
00:32:46.96\00:32:50.76
It says there:
00:32:50.79\00:32:51.82
Notice, he's not
inquiring of the Lord.
00:32:59.88\00:33:01.73
He's inquiring of her.
00:33:01.77\00:33:03.12
Did he know that what
he was doing was wrong,
00:33:15.24\00:33:17.42
and against God's will?
00:33:17.45\00:33:18.97
Sure! Would God answer him by a
method that was contrary to His
00:33:19.00\00:33:23.95
will? Absolutely not!
So it says in verse 8:
00:33:23.98\00:33:27.30
How? See he wants to
hide what he's doing.
00:33:34.55\00:33:38.11
He came to the woman...
00:33:38.15\00:33:39.18
Now it's interesting to notice
in verse 11, if you'll go with
00:33:49.23\00:33:53.62
me to verse 11, what
the woman asks King Saul.
00:33:53.66\00:33:59.51
What do you mean
bring me up Samuel?
00:34:10.95\00:34:12.62
Was Samuel a good man?
00:34:12.65\00:34:14.44
Of course he was. In
fact he's on the honor roll,
00:34:14.47\00:34:17.60
we're going to notice in Hebrews
11, of those who are going to
00:34:17.63\00:34:20.55
resurrect in the
better resurrection.
00:34:20.58\00:34:22.15
So the question is,
where was Samuel at that point?
00:34:22.19\00:34:27.04
We already read it.
Samuel had died and he was what?
00:34:27.07\00:34:31.76
He was buried. Now if he
was good and the soul is really
00:34:31.80\00:34:36.45
immortal, like many people
believe, then his soul should
00:34:36.48\00:34:39.62
have not gone down, his
soul should have gone where?
00:34:39.66\00:34:42.79
His soul should have gone up.
00:34:42.83\00:34:44.75
But obviously there's
something strange going on here,
00:34:44.78\00:34:48.22
because Saul is
saying, bring me up Samuel.
00:34:48.25\00:34:52.73
In other words, Samuel did
not go to be in the presence
00:34:52.76\00:34:56.39
of the Lord. By the way, I want
you to notice what the woman
00:34:56.42\00:35:01.51
actually sees when this
entity comes up from the earth.
00:35:01.54\00:35:06.28
Notice 1 Samuel 28:13.
00:35:06.31\00:35:09.76
1 Samuel 28:13.
00:35:09.80\00:35:13.11
You know, this is
not a proper translation.
00:35:23.69\00:35:26.40
This is the New King James.
00:35:26.44\00:35:27.64
In the King James Version
it says, I saw god's ascending
00:35:27.67\00:35:33.03
out of the earth. Notice,
ascending out of the earth.
00:35:33.06\00:35:36.78
So what was Samuel
doing down there in the earth?
00:35:36.82\00:35:40.51
If he was a good man his
soul should have been at least
00:35:40.55\00:35:43.97
in Paradise up there somewhere,
but she's making him come up.
00:35:44.00\00:35:48.11
And you'll notice that
she says, I see a spirit,
00:35:48.15\00:35:53.81
actually it's the Hebrew word
Eloheim, which is translated
00:35:53.85\00:35:58.12
God, in Genesis 1. In
the beginning God created the
00:35:58.15\00:36:03.68
heavens and the earth.
00:36:03.71\00:36:04.74
In other words, this
witch is actually telling Saul,
00:36:04.77\00:36:10.45
I see a god coming
up out of the earth.
00:36:10.48\00:36:15.28
In other words, she was
saying that Samuel was a what?
00:36:15.31\00:36:18.78
Samuel was a god when he died.
00:36:18.82\00:36:22.53
Now where does
that lie come from?
00:36:24.57\00:36:26.25
Notice Genesis 3:4, 5.
00:36:26.29\00:36:30.22
The devil said the same thing to
Adam and Eve; actually to Eve.
00:36:30.25\00:36:34.77
It says in verse 4:
00:36:34.80\00:36:37.41
In other words,
you're not going to die;
00:36:53.94\00:36:55.67
you're going to be like God.
00:36:55.71\00:36:57.67
Is this the same thing that the
witch and the devil are trying
00:36:57.71\00:37:02.59
to pan off to
King Saul? Absolutely.
00:37:02.63\00:37:06.69
Now, another thing which is very
interesting is found in verse 14
00:37:06.72\00:37:10.98
of chapter 28. 1 Samuel 28:14.
00:37:11.02\00:37:13.97
I want you to notice this.
00:37:14.01\00:37:16.89
It's very interesting. It says:
00:37:16.93\00:37:18.18
What does this entity look like?
00:37:21.21\00:37:23.31
Oh, so if this is the soul of
Samuel, then the soul of Samuel
00:37:27.48\00:37:33.25
is pretty old, huh? Huh!
00:37:33.28\00:37:36.46
Those of you who have read about
Spiritualism know that this is
00:37:41.29\00:37:44.17
the way that spirits,
supposedly, use to appear
00:37:44.20\00:37:47.37
to the living at séances.
00:37:47.40\00:37:49.27
And now notice, and
this is very important,
00:37:49.30\00:37:53.61
because this witch has
said that she saw gods ascending
00:37:53.65\00:37:57.78
from the earth. Notice
Saul's reaction. It says:
00:37:57.81\00:38:00.68
We'll come back to
that a little bit later.
00:38:02.92\00:38:04.84
What is he doing? He's
worshipping this entity.
00:38:12.34\00:38:17.39
That's correct, because the
witch has said, I saw Eloheim.
00:38:17.43\00:38:22.96
I saw god's
coming up from the earth.
00:38:23.00\00:38:26.93
So he bows down and he worships.
00:38:26.97\00:38:29.28
By the way, even
angels do not receive worship.
00:38:29.32\00:38:32.63
In Revelation 19:10 the
angel Gabriel appears to John,
00:38:32.67\00:38:38.47
and John falls at his feet to
worship him, and the angel says,
00:38:38.50\00:38:42.51
Get up! I am a servant
of God just like you are.
00:38:42.54\00:38:46.41
You remember when
Peter went and met Cornelius?
00:38:46.44\00:38:50.23
You know, Cornelius bowed
before him, and Peter said,
00:38:50.27\00:38:54.79
Get up! I'm a
man such as you are.
00:38:54.83\00:38:57.71
So how is it that Saul is bowing
and putting his face to the
00:38:57.75\00:39:02.02
ground before this entity?
00:39:02.05\00:39:04.67
Another interesting detail is
what we find in 1 Samuel 28:19.
00:39:04.71\00:39:08.71
See all of these discrepancies
show that there's something
00:39:08.75\00:39:12.60
strange going on here; that
really this was not Samuel who
00:39:12.63\00:39:16.44
appeared to
Saul. 1 Samuel 28:19.
00:39:16.48\00:39:20.13
Notice what this supposed
spirit of Samuel has to say.
00:39:20.16\00:39:25.19
Huh! What is it that this
supposed Samuel is saying?
00:39:38.95\00:39:46.19
He's saying, you know, tomorrow
Saul, you're gong to be in the
00:39:46.22\00:39:52.38
very same place that I'm at.
00:39:52.41\00:39:54.77
So what does that mean?
00:39:54.80\00:39:56.18
The righteous and the
wicked all go to the same place?
00:39:56.21\00:39:58.70
That's what modern
spiritualism teaches:
00:39:58.74\00:40:00.59
universalism, the idea that
everyone is going to be saved.
00:40:00.62\00:40:05.11
Everybody is
going to the same place.
00:40:05.14\00:40:07.10
That's what's happening here.
00:40:07.13\00:40:08.85
And so he says, and tomorrow you
and your sons will be with me.
00:40:08.89\00:40:13.90
The Lord will also deliver the
army of Israel into the hand of
00:40:13.94\00:40:18.65
the Philistines. By the way,
that could not have been Samuel,
00:40:18.69\00:40:23.36
because the Bible tells us
that Samuel is on the honor roll
00:40:23.39\00:40:27.19
of Hebrews 11, and his
hope was found in being with God
00:40:27.22\00:40:31.01
at that better resurrection.
00:40:31.04\00:40:32.84
In fact, let's read
that in Hebrews 11:32.
00:40:32.87\00:40:36.14
The name of Samuel is mentioned.
00:40:36.18\00:40:38.42
It says, And what more shall I
say? for the time would fail me
00:40:38.45\00:40:42.99
to tell of Gideon, and
Barak, and Samson, and Jephthah;
00:40:43.02\00:40:48.18
also of David, and
Samuel, and the prophets.
00:40:48.21\00:40:52.55
And then I want
you to notice verse 35.
00:40:52.59\00:40:54.81
After mentioning all of these
names, it says: Women received
00:40:54.85\00:40:58.44
their dead raised to life
again: and others were tortured,
00:40:58.47\00:41:02.02
not accepting deliverance;
that they might obtain a better
00:41:02.05\00:41:06.70
resurrection. So let me
ask you, when is it that Samuel
00:41:06.74\00:41:11.38
is actually going to be raised
up and be present with the Lord?
00:41:11.41\00:41:15.45
It was not at the moment of his
death that he comes up and he
00:41:15.48\00:41:19.23
speaks to Saul. The Bible makes
it very clear that it will be at
00:41:19.27\00:41:22.99
the moment of the better
resurrection when Jesus comes
00:41:23.02\00:41:25.96
on the clouds of heaven, and you
hear the sound of the trumpet,
00:41:26.00\00:41:29.77
and the voice of the
archangel that will call Samuel
00:41:29.80\00:41:32.88
from the grave. Meanwhile the
Bible tells us that Samuel is
00:41:32.91\00:41:38.53
like everybody
else who has died.
00:41:38.56\00:41:40.38
He knows absolutely nothing!
00:41:40.41\00:41:44.14
By the way, we know that the
entity that came up and spoke
00:41:44.17\00:41:50.08
to Saul was not Samuel, because
in 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14,
00:41:50.11\00:41:55.99
if you'll go with me
there; 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14.
00:41:56.02\00:42:00.41
We're told that the Lord did not
answer Saul, because Saul did
00:42:00.45\00:42:05.21
not enquire of the Lord.
00:42:05.24\00:42:06.81
It says there in 1
Chronicles 10:13, 14:
00:42:06.84\00:42:10.06
Let me ask you, when Saul
used the medium to try and
00:42:39.63\00:42:45.41
communicate with the Lord, was
it the Lord who answered him?
00:42:45.44\00:42:48.85
Absolutely not!
We're told here that:
00:42:48.89\00:42:51.78
And if he did not inquire of the
Lord, the Lord did not answer
00:42:54.34\00:42:58.37
him, especially using
unorthodox, forbidden methods
00:42:58.40\00:43:03.67
of determining the will of God.
00:43:03.70\00:43:06.28
By the way, Isaiah 8:19,20 tells
us that we are not supposed to
00:43:06.31\00:43:14.08
seek the will of God
through these forbidden methods,
00:43:14.11\00:43:18.16
but rather by going
to the very Word of God.
00:43:18.20\00:43:21.16
It says there
in Isaiah 8:19, 20:
00:43:21.20\00:43:23.82
In other words, we are to
seek the will of God in the law.
00:43:47.67\00:43:51.46
In this time when Isaiah wrote,
that is the writings of Moses.
00:43:51.49\00:43:55.28
And the testimony refers to the
prophets who had been raised up
00:43:55.31\00:43:59.06
by God, and who had
written up till that point,
00:43:59.10\00:44:01.66
because the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
00:44:01.70\00:44:05.26
So basically this is saying,
don't seek God's will among
00:44:05.29\00:44:08.78
the mediums and the wizards, but
to the law and to the testimony.
00:44:08.82\00:44:12.92
And if they don't speak
according to this, it's because
00:44:12.95\00:44:16.22
they have no light in them.
00:44:16.26\00:44:19.64
Now I want you to notice a
very important word that is used
00:44:19.67\00:44:24.10
in 1 Samuel
28:14. 1 Samuel 28:14.
00:44:24.14\00:44:29.69
You know, you read the passage
and the passage gives the
00:44:29.72\00:44:33.43
impression that it's
Samuel that is actually speaking
00:44:33.47\00:44:37.15
all throughout the passage.
00:44:37.18\00:44:38.50
But there's a very important
word that indicates that this
00:44:38.54\00:44:41.54
was Saul's perception.
00:44:41.57\00:44:44.19
Notice 1 Samuel 28:14.
00:44:44.22\00:44:46.70
And Saul perceived that it was
Samuel, and he stooped with his.
00:44:46.74\00:44:58.83
Now, let me ask you, what
were Saul's perceptions like
00:44:58.86\00:45:06.38
at this point? Were his
perceptions trustworthy?
00:45:06.41\00:45:10.18
Absolutely not! Notice 1 Samuel
16:14; 16:14. It says here:
00:45:10.21\00:45:19.89
So what was the problem with
Saul before this witch of En Dor
00:45:30.18\00:45:34.52
episode? The Bible tells
us that there was a spirit,
00:45:34.56\00:45:38.05
an evil spirit is says, from
the Lord, that tormented him.
00:45:38.09\00:45:41.88
Does this mean that God
goes around sending evil spirits
00:45:41.92\00:45:45.68
to torment
people? Of course not!
00:45:45.72\00:45:47.78
You know how this worked.
00:45:47.82\00:45:49.88
You have, for example, Job.
00:45:49.92\00:45:51.91
You know, the devil comes and he
takes everything away from Job.
00:45:51.94\00:45:55.65
Job thinks it's the Lord.
00:45:55.68\00:45:58.12
He says, The Lord gave
and the Lord has taken away.
00:45:58.15\00:46:00.71
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
00:46:00.74\00:46:02.30
But as we read the story we
know that the Lord is simply
00:46:02.34\00:46:05.34
permitting the devil to work.
00:46:05.37\00:46:07.15
Another example of this
is in 1 Chronicles 18:18-20.
00:46:07.19\00:46:12.21
I'll just have you look up that
passage where a spirit appears
00:46:12.24\00:46:16.68
before the presence of the
Lord, and he says, You know,
00:46:16.71\00:46:18.99
I'll go convince Ahab to go
to battle so that he gets killed
00:46:19.02\00:46:22.36
in battle. And the Lord
says to this spirit, He says,
00:46:22.39\00:46:25.00
And how are you going to
convince him to go to battle?
00:46:25.03\00:46:27.57
And the spirit says, Oh, I'll
be a lying spirit in the mouths
00:46:27.60\00:46:31.12
of all of his prophets.
00:46:31.15\00:46:32.23
In other words, I'll tell a
lie to his prophets that's he's
00:46:32.27\00:46:34.52
going to gain the victory in the
battle, but he's really going to
00:46:34.56\00:46:38.16
be killed. Now let me ask you,
who was that spirit who was in
00:46:38.20\00:46:42.03
the presence of the Lord that
said, I will be a lying spirit
00:46:42.07\00:46:45.64
in the mouths of all
of the prophets of Ahab?
00:46:45.67\00:46:47.83
It can't be a loyal angel.
00:46:47.86\00:46:49.54
It can't be a good
spirit, a ministering spirit
00:46:49.57\00:46:52.74
from the Lord, for the simple
reason that angels do not use
00:46:52.77\00:46:57.59
what? they do not use lies
to accomplish God's purposes.
00:46:57.63\00:47:03.95
So in other words, Saul
perceived that it was Samuel.
00:47:03.99\00:47:09.04
But the Bible tells us
that Saul's powers of perception
00:47:09.08\00:47:14.10
were eschewed, because an
evil spirit was coming and was
00:47:14.14\00:47:18.53
tormenting Saul. And, in fact,
the Bible tells us that David
00:47:18.56\00:47:23.12
would be called by Saul to play
his harp so his tortured spirit
00:47:23.15\00:47:27.68
would experience some peace.
00:47:27.71\00:47:30.09
And even when David was playing
his harp, you know what would
00:47:30.12\00:47:33.04
happen; the evil spirit
would take possession of Saul,
00:47:33.07\00:47:35.96
and at least a couple of times
he took his spirit and he hurled
00:47:36.00\00:47:39.06
it at David to try and
nail David to the wall,
00:47:39.09\00:47:42.36
according to the scripture.
00:47:42.40\00:47:43.43
Let me ask you, Who had
possessed Saul at this point?
00:47:43.46\00:47:47.26
It was the devil.
00:47:47.29\00:47:48.52
So could Saul
trust his perceptions?
00:47:48.55\00:47:51.14
Absolutely not! He
perceived that it was Samuel,
00:47:51.18\00:47:55.07
but that doesn't
mean that it was Samuel.
00:47:55.10\00:47:58.13
In fact, I want to read a
statement from the devotional
00:47:58.17\00:48:01.99
book, Conflict and Courage,
page 172, where Ellen White
00:48:02.02\00:48:05.39
is discussing this experience
of the witch of En Dor.
00:48:05.43\00:48:09.35
And she says this: When
Saul inquired for Samuel,
00:48:09.39\00:48:13.33
the Lord did not cause
Samuel to appear to Saul.
00:48:13.36\00:48:18.18
He saw nothing. Satan was not
allowed to disturb the rest of
00:48:18.22\00:48:24.10
Samuel in the grave and bring
him up in reality to the witch
00:48:24.14\00:48:30.17
of En Dor. God does not
give Satan power to resurrect
00:48:30.20\00:48:35.74
the dead. But Satan's angels,
listen to this, assume the
00:48:35.78\00:48:41.29
form of dead friends,
and speak and act like them,
00:48:41.32\00:48:46.76
that through professed dead
friends he can better carry on
00:48:46.79\00:48:52.79
his work of deception.
00:48:52.83\00:48:54.88
Satan knew Samuel well...
00:48:54.92\00:48:56.90
Now notice,
Satan knew Samuel well.
00:48:56.94\00:48:59.45
...and he knew how to represent
him before the witch of En Dor
00:48:59.49\00:49:03.62
and to utter correctly
the fate of Saul and his sons.
00:49:03.65\00:49:09.12
I'd like to read another
statement that we find in
00:49:10.34\00:49:12.56
The Great Controversy, page 552.
00:49:12.59\00:49:15.02
Here Ellen White is talking
about what's going to happen
00:49:15.05\00:49:17.10
in the future. The devil's going
to do the same thing that he did
00:49:17.14\00:49:20.14
to Saul at the end of time,
to try and deceive people into
00:49:20.17\00:49:24.72
believing what he's trying
to teach through these supposed
00:49:24.76\00:49:29.30
spirits of the dead.
00:49:29.34\00:49:30.72
It says there,
speaking about the devil:
00:49:30.76\00:49:33.83
That is a powerful statement.
00:50:18.13\00:50:19.81
So something is appearing,
but it's not the loved ones.
00:50:19.84\00:50:25.07
It's really the devil
disguised as those who died.
00:50:25.10\00:50:30.41
Let me ask you, does the
devil know a lot about the lives
00:50:30.44\00:50:33.49
of those people who have died?
00:50:33.52\00:50:34.96
Absolutely! Now I want to read
an amazing statement as we near
00:50:34.99\00:50:40.33
our close in Patriarchs
and Prophets, page 687.
00:50:40.36\00:50:43.84
Say, how did the devil know
that Saul was going to be killed
00:50:43.88\00:50:48.08
the next day? Well, the fact
is that it wasn't the Lord who
00:50:48.12\00:50:52.02
killed him. The Lord allowed
the devil to kill him, right?
00:50:52.05\00:50:56.55
So when it says that He killed
him, it simply means that God
00:50:56.58\00:51:00.46
withdrew His protection from
Saul, because Saul was in the
00:51:00.50\00:51:04.34
hands of the
devil at that point.
00:51:04.38\00:51:05.95
Saul was demon possessed,
so the devil could do anything
00:51:05.98\00:51:09.54
he wanted to him. His
door of probation, so to speak,
00:51:09.57\00:51:13.29
had closed. Now how can
the devil sometimes apparently
00:51:13.33\00:51:17.01
predict the future; things
that are going to happen in the
00:51:17.04\00:51:19.30
future? How does he say certain
things about people that no one
00:51:19.33\00:51:23.32
else knows? You know
how you have these psychic's
00:51:23.35\00:51:25.28
on television who supposedly
communicate with the dead.
00:51:25.31\00:51:28.61
And, you know, people call.
00:51:28.64\00:51:29.67
They say, you know, I want
you to communicate with such
00:51:29.70\00:51:32.58
and such a relative, and
they say some amazing things
00:51:32.62\00:51:35.75
about the relatives
that are really true.
00:51:35.78\00:51:38.51
And you say, how do
they know these things?
00:51:38.54\00:51:41.20
Well, the fact is the devil
knows all about those relatives,
00:51:41.24\00:51:44.61
and he can come and he
can whisper in the ear of the
00:51:44.65\00:51:47.96
psychic to tell the
psychic exactly what transpired
00:51:47.99\00:51:51.27
in the life of that person.
00:51:51.30\00:51:52.34
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:51:52.37\00:51:53.65
Now look at this statement:
Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:51:53.69\00:51:56.60
page 687: Satan leads men...
00:51:56.64\00:52:00.03
Does Satan know the past of
everyone on Planet Earth and his
00:52:09.78\00:52:13.18
angels? Sure, because he can
go even into the secret places.
00:52:13.22\00:52:16.59
Because he says things in
the past that nobody knew,
00:52:30.77\00:52:33.94
except that person, people
say, well, if he knows the past,
00:52:33.98\00:52:37.58
then he must
also know the future.
00:52:37.62\00:52:39.48
Now how does he do this?
00:52:39.52\00:52:41.51
Just by looking at the
law of cause and effect.
00:52:58.70\00:53:01.92
You know, there was one prophet
that probably all of you have
00:53:14.34\00:53:20.28
heard about. Her
name is Jeane Dixon.
00:53:20.32\00:53:22.73
She actually passed away.
00:53:22.77\00:53:25.44
Do you know that she
prophesied with precision where
00:53:25.47\00:53:31.37
Robert Kennedy was going to
be assassinated, and the month
00:53:31.40\00:53:35.94
in which Robert Kennedy
was going to be assassinated?
00:53:35.97\00:53:38.48
She said it
several months before.
00:53:38.52\00:53:40.88
So you say, she
had to be a psychic.
00:53:40.92\00:53:43.21
She had to have the
gift of reading the future,
00:53:43.25\00:53:45.27
because she predicted that
Robert F. Kennedy was going
00:53:45.30\00:53:48.48
to be killed in the Ambassador
Hotel in the month of June.
00:53:48.52\00:53:51.66
Only God can
foretell the future, right?
00:53:51.70\00:53:55.44
How did the devil do it?
00:53:55.47\00:53:56.50
Do you think the devil knew
that Robert F. Kennedy was going
00:53:56.53\00:54:00.99
to be in the
Ambassador Hotel at that date?
00:54:01.02\00:54:03.67
Do you think he knew,
Robert F. Kennedy's calendar?
00:54:03.70\00:54:07.06
Of course he did. Could
the devil influence somebody to
00:54:07.09\00:54:10.83
take a gun and to come and
to meet Robert Kennedy at the
00:54:10.86\00:54:14.56
Ambassador Hotel?
Of course he could.
00:54:14.60\00:54:16.72
And so he has Jeane Dixon
predict this is going to happen,
00:54:16.75\00:54:21.08
and then he molds the different
events so that it will happen.
00:54:21.12\00:54:25.41
The only trouble is it
doesn't happen 100% of the time,
00:54:25.45\00:54:28.17
because sometimes God intervenes
and interferes with the devil's
00:54:28.20\00:54:32.51
plans, and He does not allow the
devil to implement his plans.
00:54:32.54\00:54:35.80
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:54:35.84\00:54:37.39
And so people say, Wow, she
predicted the death of Robert F.
00:54:37.43\00:54:41.92
Kennedy. That's amazing!
00:54:41.95\00:54:43.36
But what they don't realize is
that she's not really predicting
00:54:43.39\00:54:46.60
anything. It's the fact of
the devil revealing what he is
00:54:46.63\00:54:50.51
planning to do. He can't
always do what he plans to do,
00:54:50.55\00:54:54.40
because sometimes
God interrupts his plans.
00:54:54.43\00:54:58.05
Now there's a lot of
spiritualism going on in the
00:54:58.08\00:55:02.15
world today: Harry Potter,
supposed apparitions of the
00:55:02.19\00:55:08.89
Virgin Mary, psychics,
astrologers, palm readers,
00:55:08.92\00:55:15.90
channelers, supposedly angels.
00:55:15.94\00:55:21.07
Do you know that most people
believe that angels are spirits
00:55:21.11\00:55:24.79
of the departed that went to
Heaven, and then they come back
00:55:24.82\00:55:29.65
to this earth disguised as
human beings, to help those who
00:55:29.68\00:55:34.48
are here on earth?
00:55:34.51\00:55:35.54
You know, like the program
Highway to Heaven with Michael
00:55:35.57\00:55:37.77
Landon? Probably
you watched that show.
00:55:37.80\00:55:40.18
It was a long time ago
where, you know, he died.
00:55:40.22\00:55:43.45
He went to Heaven,
then God sent him back.
00:55:43.48\00:55:44.51
Then God sent him back.
00:55:44.54\00:55:45.92
He became an angel.
00:55:45.96\00:55:47.32
God sent him back to earth
to help people as a human being.
00:55:47.36\00:55:53.35
The devil is working overtime
to deceive the whole world
00:55:53.39\00:55:59.35
with the lie that
he uttered at the very
00:55:59.38\00:56:02.03
beginning of human history.
00:56:02.06\00:56:03.42
The living know that
they will die, the Bible says,
00:56:03.45\00:56:08.69
but the dead know not anything.
00:56:08.72\00:56:10.95
But the devil says, You will not
surely die, but you shall be as
00:56:10.99\00:56:15.62
God, knowing good and evil.
00:56:15.65\00:56:18.03
The question is,
who do we believe?
00:56:18.06\00:56:20.18
Do we believe God, or
do we believe the devil?
00:56:20.22\00:56:23.96
That's the question that
each of us have to answer.
00:56:23.99\00:56:27.26
And so the two passages that
we've studied make it very clear
00:56:27.30\00:56:31.48
that neither one of them teach
the immortality of the soul.
00:56:31.51\00:56:35.62
The thief on the cross did
not go that very day to Paradise
00:56:35.65\00:56:39.42
with Jesus, because Jesus
did not go to Paradise that day,
00:56:39.45\00:56:43.18
and the thief
wasn't dead that day.
00:56:43.21\00:56:44.97
So the better translation is,
Verily, verily I say unto you
00:56:45.01\00:56:49.34
today, you will be
with me in Paradise.
00:56:49.38\00:56:52.83
And as far as the story of
the witch of En Dor, God did not
00:56:52.86\00:56:56.34
communicate with
Saul through Samuel.
00:56:56.37\00:56:58.97
Samuel is in the grave,
dead, awaiting the call of Jesus
00:56:59.00\00:57:04.03
Christ, his Savior and Lord,
whom he believed in as the One
00:57:04.07\00:57:09.10
who would come in the future
to shed His blood to save Samuel
00:57:09.13\00:57:12.80
and all the rest of humanity
through His blood from their
00:57:12.84\00:57:16.51
sins. And so folks, the book of
Revelation tells us that in the
00:57:16.55\00:57:21.83
last days the devil is going
to deceive the whole world.
00:57:21.86\00:57:25.65
I pray to God that
none of us will be deceived.
00:57:25.69\00:57:30.37