Crossing Over OR Double Crossed ?
“In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1, King James Version).
Several years ago I was holding a meeting in Leesburg, Florida. Jack Bliffen was the minister and I wanted to show him a problem that was happening to many in the church concerning Spiritualism. I asked him to accompany me to a nearby town called Cassadaga, a town where the religion of Spiritualism abounds and many homes are occupied by psychic mediums.
It was a Sunday afternoon and the town was crowded with visitors. We asked many of them if they attended church that morning and found that the vast majority of them were churchgoers. When we asked why they were in Cassadaga, they replied that they came in the hopes of getting a message from a dead loved one.
People get involved in Spiritualism because of the loss of a loved one. It can be heartbreaking, especially when the loved one is a child. Some never get over the loss, and when a psychic comes along who claims to contact the dead, there is a strong temptation to find out if this is possible. Spiritualism is real!
Clever Conjecture
John Edward is a psychic who is making headlines on television. He has been on the Oprah Winfrey show, “Larry King Live,” and a host of other well known TV programs. Unlike the Spiritualists of yore who typically plied their trade in darkroom séances, Edward and his ilk often perform before live audiences and on television.
Indeed, Edward has his own popular show on the Sci-Fi channel called “Crossing Over,” which has gone into national syndication. Yet, does he really speak to the dead?
I have watched John Edward perform many times. He approaches the audience and starts giving his “impressions” of what he is getting, whether it be a name, numbers, or a date until someone responds with information that matches. He asks questions as he tosses out clues he claims he is receiving from the dead. Sometimes it seems he is throwing out general information and the person in the audience is filling in the blanks. Other times Edward seems to be uncannily accurate.
Such activity may seem innocent enough to many, but in reality it is quite dangerous. Here are several reasons why.
It is a tool used by Satan to delude people and captivate their souls.
1. He is preying on the emotions of grieving souls for the money -- and lots of it.
2. He doesn’t understand the consequences of the problem. He is opening up a web of spiritual deception. Edward’s performance encourages people to believe in the religion of Spiritualism. This is detestable in the eyes of God (Deuteronomy 18:10).
3. I have counseled hundreds of people of all ages who have been involved in the occult with frightening consequences. Some have had their lives destroyed, even committing suicide from messages they received from a Ouija Board or a psychic.
4. When a person gets involved in the occult, apathy sets in. There is a weariness of living, they become unfit for duties in life, and they are deprived of all interest until they find relief by talking to their substitute saviors, their psychics.
5. As a person gets involved in psychic activities, often his mental and moral nature becomes disordered. He discovers that, while it was easy to open the door by which the mind could be invaded, it is difficult, if not impossible, to shut the door and expel the invader.
A Powerful Reality
We must never make the mistake of thinking that Spiritualism is dealing with fantasy or figments of people’s imaginations. Spiritualism is real; it is a tool used by Satan to delude people and captivate their souls.
The Bible strictly forbids God’s people to deal with the spirit world (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; I Chronicles 10:13; 2 Kings 21:6, 23:24; Isaiah 8:19, 20).
God would not forbid us to deal with something that does not exist. The religion of Spiritualism deceives by claiming to contact the dead; actually these contacts are with demons impersonating the dead.
The question is, “Are we really contacting the dead?” As a former spiritualist medium involved in the highest form of the occult, I can attest with all certainty that there is something on “the other side.” I thank God that I was able to realize this “something” was not a departed spirit, but something more sinister impersonating our dead loved ones.
The religion of Spiritualism deceives by claiming to contact the dead; actually these contacts are with demons impersonating the dead.
Life after Death
Christians know that our bodies will be resurrected at the second coming and transformed by the power of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20, 21). We know about the marvelous eternal life in
Heaven that awaits the faithful (Revelation 21) and we give thanks for the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
Spiritualism and all its practices must be rejected, for it is totally against God’s will for his people.
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