p. 203 | Modern Spiritualism by Editor

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jul 3, 1879

Modern Spiritualism.

By Editor

(Continued.)

By reference to Rev. 14 : 6-15, it will be seen that three messages, embracing a commandment, an annunciation, and a warning, are given immediately preceding the coming of the Son of man to reap the harvest of the earth. These messages, of course, are designed to prepare God's people for that great event. The last message, the warning, is based upon the facts brought to view in chapter 13, respecting the worship of the beast and his image. This clearly shows that these miracles are wrought and the worship of the image enforced in the last days, just previous to the coming of Christ; and as the messages of the angels of Rev. 14 are designed to prepare the people of God "to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord," which day and battle are soon to come, so these miracles are wrought during the time of the proclamation of the warning, to deceive the world and to turn away their minds from the truth. This, then, is clearly a work of the last days.

If the wonders of Spiritualism can be shown to be identical with the wonders of this prophecy, it will at once attest the truth of our application of the symbol of the two-horned beast of Rev. 13 to the United States, as it was in this country that Spiritualism took its rise; and also that we are now in the last days, near the close of this dispensation, and the awful scenes of the Judgment.

Concerning the last days, notice the following: In Matt. 24 : 11-14, it is shown that, 1. False christs and false prophets shall arise. 2. Iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold. 3. The gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations. 4. Then shall the end come. The same facts are set forth in 2 Tim. 3, which is a prophecy respecting the last days. It says, 1. The last days shall be perilous. 2. Men shall have a form of godliness and deny the power thereof. 3. The truth shall be resisted as it was in the days of Moses, which brings to view the false prophets, as will be shown by an examination of the text. 4. The godly shall suffer persecution, which recognizes the endurance unto the end, as in Matt. 24 : 13. Thus the prophecy of Paul in 2 Tim. 3, is located near the time of the coming of the Lord, and is parallel with Rev. 13 : 12-17. We propose to examine verse 8, which brings to our consideration

ANCIENT AND MODERN SORCERY.

"Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth." So denotes in like manner. In the last days, near the coming of Christ, the truth will be resisted by certain ones after the manner that Moses was withstood by his opponents. It will be impossible for us to recognize the fulfillment of this prophecy unless we understand the manner in which it will be fulfilled. This is given in the Scripture account of the mission of Moses.

When God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, and to go before Pharaoh, he excused himself, first, because of his unworthiness, and afterward for fear they would not believe me; for he said, "Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee." Ex. 4 : 1. The Lord then told him to cast the rod that was in his hand on the ground; and he did so, and it became a serpent. Again the Lord told him to put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out it was leprous, white as snow; and when he put it into his bosom again and took it out, it was restored. The Lord also told him that if they would not believe these signs he should take water and pour it on the ground and it should become blood. These were signs to convince the children of Israel and Pharaoh that the Lord had sent Moses.

When Moses presented himself before Pharaoh and gave the word of the Lord, Pharaoh answered, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." Ex. 5 : 2. Then Moses and Aaron were directed to show these signs before the king; Aaron cast down the rod, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh called the sorcerers of Egypt, and they did so with their enchantments; they cast down their rods, and they also became serpents. Chap. 7 : 10-12. Thus was Pharaoh confirmed in his rebellion against God.

Then Aaron was directed to take his rod and smite the waters; and he did so; and the waters were turned to blood. And the magicians did so with their enchantments; and so Pharaoh's heart was hardened. Verses 20-22.

Next, Aaron was commanded to stretch his rod over the streams, and over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And he did so. The magicians also by their enchantments caused frogs to come up. Chap. 8 : 5-7.

Again Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and the dust became lice, and they were upon man and upon beast. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. After this, the Lord directed Moses and Aaron to show six more signs, none of which were imitated by the magicians. Of these signs and plagues, ten in all, the seventh was a boil or blain upon man and beast, and the magicians could not stand before them, for it was upon them also.

The question is now to be considered, By what power were these wonders wrought? We contend that these signs were wrought by the direct power of God, and not by any power possessed by Moses or Aaron. For this belief we have several reasons.

1. They were first given to Moses to satisfy his mind when he feared the people would not believe his word.

2. He evidently did not expect that the rod would become a serpent, for he was afraid of it, and fled from before it.

3. The Lord said, "I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt." Ex. 7 : 3.

4. The magicians confessed, when their enchantments failed, that the finger of God was in it.

5. Each successive sign was given under the immediate direction of the Lord.

6. The whole was completed by the plague of the destruction of the first-born, a sign in which Moses and Aaron had no agency.

Other considerations, such as the nature of the plagues, darkness over the land, etc., clearly show that no human power controlled these signs. Neither were they illusions or deceptions, by which the people they did not see in reality; for they could scarcely be mistaken in regard to the boils or blains upon their own persons, the flies and locusts, or the darkness over the land. The only conclusion that it is possible to arrive at, is that these miracles were wrought by the direct power of the Lord.

We have been thus particular, not because we supposed that any would deny the position assumed, but there is another question involved which is this: Did the wise men of Egypt possess any more power than Moses and Aaron? We contend that they did not in themselves possess any power to cause their rods to become serpents, nor to turn the water to blood. Neither did their rods become serpents by the same power that Aaron's did; for, first, they stood in opposition to Moses; and as Aaron's rod was changed by the power of God, he could not consistently oppose his own power by working also through the magicians; secondly, the Scriptures say they were sorcerers, and worked with their enchantments; and such are condemned in both Testaments, and declared to be an abomination to the Lord. The only conclusion at which we can arrive, is that the magicians performed these wonders by the power of Satan.

Against this position it is objected that there is no such being; and it is further urged that he cannot exist, and it is inconsistent with the wisdom and benevolence of God to create a devil and give him such power. To this we agree; we have no idea that God ever created a devil. As it has become very common to deny the existence of such a being, we will notice

THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL.

We take the question in this form because it is more comprehensive, and will apply to evil of every kind and degree. Dr. Hare said:-

"But I conceive that the existence of devil is irreconcilable with all goodness and omnipotency; and that were a devil created by God, the Creator would be answerable for all the acts of the being so created. Evidently, the devil could be nothing else but what omnipotence should make him, and could do nothing but what prescience would foresee. The acts of the devil would therefore be indirectly those of his Maker." -Spiritualism Scientifically Demonstrated, page 31.

In another place, he said:-

"No evil can endure, which any being has both the power and desire to remove. "If God be both omnipotent and omniscient, he can, of course, make his creatures exactly to suit his will and fancy, and foresee how they will fulfill the end for which they are created. . . . "Is it not more consistent with divine goodness to infer that we are placed in this life for progressive improvement, and that there is no evil which can be avoided consistently with his enormous, though not unlimited, power?"—Id., page 20.

Epicurus, the pagan philosopher, put forth the same objection in the following propositions: "Either God wills to remove evils and cannot, or he can and will not; or he neither will nor can; or he both can and will." After showing that the last position is the only one consistent with God, he inquired, "Then whence are evils? and why does he not remove them?"

Our answer to all is, "He both can and will." And to arrive at this conclusion we need not query in doubt with Epicurus, nor make God accountable for evil, or limit his power, as Dr. Hare has done. Spiritualism boasts of wise adherents, but in talking of this and kindred subjects, they have illustrated the scripture, that the wisdom of the world is foolishness. A degree of evil exists, and we hold that it is no inconsistent for God to permit a strong being to sin than a weak one, if both have facilities to discern good and evil—to distinguish right from wrong. The Saviour called the devil a murderer and a liar, and we know that murderers and liars do exist. Here is surely an approximation to the devil in character. Paul enumerates "the works of the flesh" in Gal. 5, which are certainly manifested in the world; and if all of these were developed in one person, though it would not make the devil of him, he would be bad enough to bear such a name. Murder and adultery are amongst these works, the existence of which no one can doubt. We will parody Dr. Hare's remarks, and apply them to these as follows:-

"But I conceive that the existence of murderers and adulterers is irreconcilable with all goodness and omnipotency; and that were murderers and adulterers created by God, the Creator would be answerable for all the acts of the beings so created. Evidently, murderers and adulterers could be nothing else but what omnipotence should make them, and could do nothing but what prescience would foresee. The acts of murderers and adulterers would therefore be indirectly those of their Maker."

This is the Dr.'s argument in its full strength; shall we therefore conclude that there is no murder and adultery? It is easy to see that with all his show of wisdom he was weak in argument.

The blasphemous conclusion that God is responsible for all sin, necessarily attaches to that argument with only one possible refuge, that is, the limited power of God! To this, Dr. Hare resorts as a substitute for human accountability, and the spirits endorse it, for he says:-

"Such an inference coincides with communications recently received from the spirits of departed friends; which it is the object of this publication to promulgate."—Id., page 20.

The object and the alternative are now before us. Probation is uniformly denied by Spiritualists; hence man is not responsible for his actions. But all perceive that wrong exists, and responsibility must rest somewhere; if not with man, then with his Maker. Is it not so? Spiritualism answers, Not necessarily; perhaps he cannot help it; his power may be limited!

So to avoid the truth of human probation, we have men irresponsible and God either wicked or weak? And this is sanctioned by the spirits, and Dr. Hare has published a book to promulgate it, under their instructions. EDITOR.

(To be Continued.)