Chapter 34—Can Our Dead Speak to Us?
The ministration of holy angels, as presented in the Scriptures, is a
truth most comforting and precious to every follower of Christ. But
the Bible teaching upon this point has been obscured and perverted by
the errors of popular theology. The doctrine of natural immortality,
first borrowed from the pagan philosophy, and in the darkness of the
great apostasy incorporated into the Christian faith, has supplanted the
truth, so plainly taught in Scripture, that “the dead know not anything.”
Multitudes have come to believe that it is spirits of the dead who are the
“ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs
of salvation.” And this notwithstanding the testimony of Scripture to
the existence of heavenly angels, and their connection with the history
of man, before the death of a human being.
The doctrine of man’s consciousness in death, especially the belief
that spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared
the way for modern spiritualism. If the dead are admitted to the
presence of God and holy angels, and privileged with knowledge far
exceeding what they before possessed, why should they not return to
the earth to enlighten and instruct the living? If, as taught by popular
theologians, spirits of the dead are hovering about their friends on
earth, why should they not be permitted to communicate with them,
to warn them against evil, or to comfort them in sorrow? How can
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those who believe in man’s consciousness in death reject what comes
to them as divine light communicated by glorified spirits? Here is
a channel regarded as sacred, through which Satan works for the
accomplishment of his purposes. The fallen angels who do his bidding
appear as messengers from the spirit world. While professing to
bring the living into communication with the dead, the prince of evil
exercises his bewitching influence upon their minds.
He has power to bring before men the appearance of their departed
friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the
tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted
with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven,
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