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not in the truth; he is the mystery of iniquity. Through his subtlety he
gives to his soul-destroying errors the appearance of truth. Herein is
their power to deceive.
It is because they are a counterfeit of the truth that spiritualism,
theosophy, and the like deceptions gain such power over the minds of
men. Herein is the masterly working of Satan. He pretends to be the
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saviour of man, the benefactor of the human race, and thus he more
readily lures his victims to destruction.—SpT Series A, No. 9, Sept
24, 1897. (
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 365
.)
Satan’s Bewitching Power—The magicians of heathen times
have their counterpart in the spiritualistic mediums, the clairvoyants,
and the fortunetellers of today. The mystic voices that spoke at Endor
and at Ephesus are still by their lying words misleading the children of
men. Could the veil be lifted from before our eyes, we should see evil
angels employing all their arts to deceive and to destroy. Wherever
an influence is exerted to cause men to forget God, there Satan is
exercising his bewitching power. When men yield to his influence,
ere they are aware, the mind is bewildered and the soul polluted. The
apostle’s admonition to the Ephesian church should be heeded by the
people of God today: “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness, but rather reprove them” (
Ephesians 5:11
).—
The Acts of
the Apostles, 290
(1911).
Venturing on Satan’s Ground—We must keep close to the Word
of God. We need its warnings and encouragement, its threatenings
and promises. We need the perfect example given only in the life
and character of our Saviour. Angels of God will preserve His people
while they walk in the path of duty; but there is no assurance of such
protection for those who deliberately venture upon Satan’s ground.
An agent of the great deceiver will say and do anything to gain
his object. It matters little whether he calls himself a spiritualist, an
“electric physician,” or a “magnetic healer.” By specious pretenses he
wins the confidence of the unwary. He pretends to read the life history
and to understand all the difficulties and afflictions of those who resort
to him.
Disguising himself as an angel of light, while the blackness of the
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pit is in his heart, he manifests great interest in women who seek his
counsel. He tells them that all their troubles are due to an unhappy
marriage. This may be too true, but such counsel does not better their