p. 6 | Spiritualism by L. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jan 18, 1906

Spiritualism

By L. A. S.

“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams.” Deut. 13: 1-3.

It was not the sign or wonder set before the people, but the character of the teaching, that was to govern their course of action. The Lord had taught them the way of righteousness, and that teaching was superior to everything else. The sign or wonder given them might be exactly similar to those that had been given them by the Lord, and it might be something predicted which would come to pass, yet if it was in support of teaching that was contrary to the word of God, it was to be given no weight.

Miracles are wrought in confirmation of divine truth, and they are also wrought in support of satanic lies; the test of the true and the false comes in the nature of the teaching. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

In Elijah’s day fire was brought down from heaven as evidence that Jehovah was the true God. In our own day exactly the same thing is to occur in support of exactly the opposite teaching. Rev. 13: 13. We are not to be convinced by this miracle that the power behind it is divine, and that we should make an “image to the beast.” The character of this wonder-working power is to be judged by its teaching. We are to prove the spirits which have gone out into the world, not by their ability to perform signs and wonders, but by their confession that Jesus is come in the flesh. 1 John 4: 1-3.

The essence of spiritualism does not consist in rappings, table tippings, and mysterious phenomena within a cabinet. The essential part of spiritualism is its teaching; and the essence of its teaching is the spiritualistic conception or philosophy regarding truth which dissipates the reality of divine things, confuses substance with shadow, obscures the clearness and destroys the force of Christian doctrine. Its whole purpose is to spiritualize away the meaning and the force of Christian truth. Spiritualism is a much broader deception than some of us have heretofore conceived it to be.

Only those are secure against spiritualistic deception who have received the love of the truth and have put on the whole armor of God. L. A. S.