SPIRITUALISM by R. C. Porter

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Sep 20, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 38.

SPIRITUALISM.

By R. C. Porter

BY R. C. PORTER.

WE are living in an age of startling developments. Leading churchmen are becoming skeptical on the authorship of the Ten Commandments and the Bible. They are also becoming skeptical on the work of creation and the atonement.

The announcement by Dr. Savage of his acceptance of spiritualism is but another wave of the popular tide of apostasy that has set in. He is reported as follows:

Rev. Dr. J. Savage, one of the best known clergymen in America, and one of the leaders on the subject of psychic phenomena and investigation, is out with an explanation of his belief in spirit visits. In an interview, he says he has seen "manifestations" that can not be accounted for in any other way than as supernatural phenomena, and so strongly is he convinced of this that he says he would be willing to pay $1,000 to any magician who will duplicate them.

Ever since the death, five years ago, of his son, who at the time was employed in the Boston public library, Dr. Savage has sought for communication from the spirit land, and he now claims to have succeeded in his search. Dr. R. Heber Newton has also recently announced himself a spiritualist. This is but the logical result of believing the unscriptural doctrine of the immortality of the soul.

An Interesting Experience.

While the writer was pastor of the church in St. Louis, a gentleman, who was a church member, seeing my announcement to speak on the subject of Spiritualism too late to reach the appointment, wrote me requesting an early interview. I called at his office the next morning. In the course of our conversation he said he believed he had fallen into the hands of the spirits of devils, and they were determined to destroy him. He said he was powerless to release himself from their grasp, and unless he could soon make his escape, he would become a nervous wreck and lose his reason. He had recently lost his wife with whom he had lived very happily for many years. In his bereavement he was overwhelmed with grief, and was seeking for comfort and consolation, when a friend pointed him to a spirit medium. He visited the medium and was assured on returning home that night his wife would meet him. What appeared to be his wife came according to the prediction of the medium. He felt her gentle touch as natural as life. The visits were repeated every night for two weeks. He was so disturbed by the caresses of this spirit that he could not sleep. In his desperation he visited the medium again. She promised to rebuke that spirit, and permit it to disturb him no more.

On retiring that night in place of one spirit coming, he said, there came about a dozen demons which patted him all over, night after night, for seven nights. Convinced that he had fallen under a deception, knowing his wife would not thus torment him, he sought release from these spirits. He agreed with me that it was not the spirit of his wife. He earnestly requested prayer for deliverance. I told him I knew of but one remedy; faith in God's Word was his only hope. Together we read the following Scriptures:

"For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun." Eccl. 9:5, 6.

"Thou prevailest forever against him, and he passeth; thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:20, 21.

"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. 146:3, 4.

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4:13-18.

When Christ comes, He finds His people in their graves and calls them forth. "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28, 29.

It is at Christ's second coming that this mortal puts on immortality, this corruptible puts on incorruption, and the dead shout the victory over death and the grave. "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:51-55.

We have a parallel case of the spirit of friends being called up, back in the days of Saul and the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28); it is quite remarkable, however, that it was after the Lord had departed from Saul and refused to communicate with him by Urim and Thummim, by prophets or by dreams, that he seeks a witch to call back his dead friend Samuel. Did God then co-operate with the witch of Endor, whom He so abhorred that He had commanded that all such should be put to death, and, through her, bring back the spirit of Samuel? - Assuredly He did not. The whole thing was a deception of the devil, and the

work of the spirits of devils. It is the same thing spoken of in Rev. 16:13, 14: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Notice, they are unclean spirits, the spirits of devils working miracles, performing real wonders. They give no pure and holy joy, no sweet and perfect peace.

Christ only is the Prince of Peace. He does not torment His people, but "He giveth His beloved sleep."

All this I told him, and asked, Will you take these words of God and believe them? He replied, I have always believed that the spirit of the dead goes away and is conscious and cognizant of our actions after death. I inquired, If that is true, why can they not return? What does God's Word say in these plain texts of Scripture? Does it not say plainly that the dead neither love, hate, nor know anything of what is done under the sun, and have no portion in the doing of it? He replied, It certainly does. I believe God's Word.

We prayed, claiming the promise, "All things are possible to him that believeth." Drawing nigh to God, resisting the devil in the name of the Lord, the spirits of devils departed, and sweet and peaceful sleep came. "Earth hath no sorrow that heaven can not heal."

A Great Work of Deception.

We should extend our sympathy and help to those who lose their way in the midst of earth's sorrows. Let us not chide them, but point them to the Comforter, and snatch them from the deceptive snare, so cunningly laid to entrap souls in the hour of sorrow. "For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24. Why can not Satan deceive the elect?—Anchored in Christ and His Word, He is with them alway, even to the end of the world. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee." Isa. 26:3. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Ps. 34:7.

We are yet to see more marked demonstrations of power and signs and lying wonders. Satan will be transformed into an angel of light in his last-day deceptions. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." 2 Cor. 11:13-15.

Spiritualism is to connect with the present enforced Sunday-rest movement; and, as apparent evidence that enforced Sunday legislation meets with divine approval, will counterfeit Elijah's test of bringing down fire from heaven in confirmation. "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live." Rev. 13:13, 14.

Already we begin to read of the "Boy Wonder," "Modern Miracles," "Cures performed last night that rival those of 1,800 years ago." And the word passes from one to the other in surprise, "Wonderful;" "Astonishing;" "Marvelous;" "The work of God;" "How could he do it?"

Miracles No Evidence of Truth.

Because great power is manifested, and miracles are performed, is no evidence that God is performing the work. It may be the works of Satan through the deceptive agency of Spiritualism. The second coming of Christ is to be preceded by just such miracle-working manifestations. "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceitableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:9-12.

It is true there will also come the outpouring of the Spirit of God in the last days. Signs and wonders will be wrought by its power. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:28-31. How can we tell when we see manifestations of supernatural power, whether it is of Satan or of God? Two texts will suffice to make our pathway plain. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 1 John 4:1, 2. Christ come in the flesh, embraces "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Coupled with this, as the final test which will forever fortify the honest seeker after truth against the devil's delusions, is Isa. 8:20. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

We are entering upon the closing struggles of the conflict of the ages. It will be marked by the most marvelous manifestations of miracle-working power, yet, for those who heed the Word, it will be as easy to distinguish between the side of Christ and that of Satan as between light and darkness.