Angels From the Time of the Judges to the Early Kingdom
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with thee into the hand of the Philistines.”—
Patriarchs and Prophets,
680
.
When Saul inquired for Samuel, the Lord did not cause Samuel to
appear to Saul. He saw nothing. Satan was not allowed to disturb the
rest of Samuel in the grave, and bring him up in reality to the witch
of Endor. God does not give Satan power to resurrect the dead. But
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Satan’s angels assume the form of dead friends, and speak and act
like them, that through professed dead friends he can better carry on
his work of deception. Satan knew Samuel well, and he knew how to
represent him before the witch of Endor, and to utter correctly the fate
of Saul and his sons.—
The Spirit of Prophecy 1:376
.
The Scripture account of Saul’s visit to the woman of Endor has
been a source of perplexity to many students of the Bible. There are
some who take the position that Samuel was actually present at the
interview with Saul, but the Bible itself furnishes sufficient ground for
a contrary conclusion. If, as claimed by some, Samuel was in heaven,
he must have been summoned thence, either by the power of God or by
that of Satan. None can believe for a moment that Satan had power to
call the holy prophet of God from heaven to honor the incantations of
an abandoned woman. Nor can we conclude that God summoned him
to the witch’s cave; for the Lord had already refused to communicate
with Saul by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets. These were God’s own
appointed mediums of communication, and he did not pass them by to
deliver the message through the agent of Satan.
The message itself is sufficient evidence of its origin. Its object
was not to lead Saul to repentance, but to urge him on to ruin; and
this is not the work of God, but of Satan. Furthermore, the act of Saul
in consulting a sorceress is cited in Scripture as one reason why he
was rejected by God and abandoned to destruction. “Saul died for his
transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the
word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of
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one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it; and inquired not of the
Lord; therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the
son of Jesse.”
1 Chronicles 10:13, 14
.—
Patriarchs and Prophets, 683
.
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