Philosophy and Vain Deceit
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principles and faith are “after the tradition of men, after the rudiments
of the world, and not after Christ.” Jesus has not taught them this
philosophy. Nothing of the kind can be found in His teachings. He did
not direct the minds of poor mortals to themselves, to a power which
they possessed. He was ever directing their minds to God, the Creator
of the universe, as the source of their strength and wisdom. Special
warning is given in
verse 18
: “Let no man beguile you of your reward
in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those
things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.”
The teachers of spiritualism come in a pleasing, bewitching manner
to deceive you, and if you listen to their fables you are beguiled by
the enemy of righteousness and will surely lose your reward. When
once the fascinating influence of the archdeceiver overcomes you,
you are poisoned, and its deadly influence adulterates and destroys
your faith in Christ’s being the Son of God, and you cease to rely
on the merits of His blood. Those deceived by this philosophy are
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beguiled of their reward through the deceptions of Satan. They rely
upon their own merits, exercise voluntary humility, are even willing to
make sacrifices, and debase themselves, and yield their minds to the
belief of supreme nonsense, receiving the most absurd ideas through
those whom they believe to be their dead friends. Satan has so blinded
their eyes and perverted their judgment that they perceive not the evil;
and they follow out the instructions purporting to be from their dead
friends now angels in a higher sphere.
Satan has chosen a most certain, fascinating delusion, one that is
calculated to take hold of the sympathies of those who have laid their
loved ones in the grave. Evil angels assume the form of these loved
ones and relate incidents connected with their lives and perform acts
which their friends performed while living. In this way they deceive
and lead the relatives of the dead to believe that their deceased friends
are angels hovering about them and communing with them. These
they regard with a certain idolatry, and what they may say has greater
influence over them than the word of God. These evil angels, who
assume to be dead friends, will either utterly reject God’s word as idle
tales, or, if it suit their purpose best, will select the vital portions which
testify of Christ and point out the way to heaven, and change the plain
statements of the word of God to suit their own corrupt nature and ruin
souls. With due attention to the word of God, all may be convinced if