SPIRITISM UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE PROPHETS
Its World-Wide Influence a Significant Sign
A WORLD-PREVALENT movement, everywhere evident, is various forms of what is sometimes called "spiritualism," more properly, "spiritism." Spiritism and kindred cults are all founded on that first falsehood of Satan to man, "Ye shall not surely die: . . . ye shall be as God." Out of it has come the baseless hope of self-salvation, and a belief that we can communicate with the spirits of the dead. This movement, which began, so far as this country is concerned, about 1844, and was first manifest in western New York, has spread with marvelous rapidity over the entire world; and it has met among the heathen of the Orient the old demonism of ancient times, until the whole world is affected by it. Men consult it as the oracle of God. Men in all walks of life are its votaries, its devotees. Scientists at first scoffed at it, flouted its claims, ridiculed it. With many it was set down as a fraud; and there has been a great deal of fraud connected with it—sleight of hand tricks of various kinds. But under some of the most careful tests that men could possibly make, it has demonstrated that it is of supernatural origin; that is, it is at least superhuman. Wonderful signs have been wrought by it, wonderful tests have been met by it. Scientists of various fields have banded together in psychic societies for the purpose of investigation, but almost invariably they have come forth from these circles and tests with a belief in its superhuman origin. They have felt that it was not all fraud, that many of the messages which came through mediums were communicated by the bodiless spirits of those who had once lived in humanity. Consequently we have messages that are alleged to be from the great men of the past. Julius Cæsar, Napoleon, great judges and warriors, even our Lord Himself, it is claimed, have spoken through the mediums. Just recently one of its most devoted adherents, Mr. Stead, was lost on the steamship Titanic. Since, spirit mediums have received messages purporting to come from him. SOME SPIRITS SHOW IGNORANCE AND DEPRAVITY
The character of these messages is not flattering to the intelligence of the spirits that are beyond. Sometimes colossal ignorance is shown, sometimes anything but good morals, until the most intelligent spirits are said to declare that there are good and bad spirits; and sometimes the passing away of the individual seems not to improve his morals. Yet on the other hand, ignorant mediums bear learned messages. Mediums ignorant of the first principles of music play classic masterpieces. Some of the scientists who have investigated these things, have, because of the fraud and immorality connected with it, really guessed at the Bible truth of the thing; namely, that these alleged spirits of the dead are simply demons come back in this guise. WORKING WITH POWER AND LYING WONDERS
This is what the Bible itself teaches. We are expressly told that right in connection with the second coming of Christ there will be these wonderful manifestations: "And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." 2 Thess. 2:8-10. Satan, the devil, is the deceiver of the whole world, to which he was cast down with his angels, the demons. Rev. 12:9. As a deceiver, he "fashioneth himself into an angel of light." 2 Cor. 11:14. He was once Lucifer, an angel of light. Isa. 14:12-14. When he fell, a third of the angels fell with him, and these angels are the demons that have infested the earth since that time. They have known mankind, have been acquainted with those who died, and they come back in the guise of the dead, deceiving those who long to receive some message from the regions beyond. These manifestations will be specially evident when the Lord is about to come, and will perish by the forth-shining of Christ's presence. Referring to Isaiah 8, we learn that men in these days will seek not to God, even as they look not to God for help, and thus God warns His people: "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?" Isa. 8:19. Again is presented before us the darkness which inevitably follows the seeking of information from such sources. Another prophecy declares that the responsibility for the great wars rests upon these spirits of evil: "I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: for they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty." Rev. 16:13, 14. Thus modern spiritism, the most potent of all deceptions, is, in the light of God's prophecy, one of the world-wide witnesses that we are nearing the end.