Early Writings
by Ellen G. White
Spiritualism
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If we do not understand what happens to a
person at death, Satan will take advantage
of our ignorance and deceive us.
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The rapping delusion was presented before me, and I saw that
Satan has power to bring before us the appearance of forms purporting to be our
relatives or friends who sleep in Jesus. It will be made to appear as if these
friends were actually present, the words they uttered while here, with which we
were familiar, will be spoken, and the same tone of voice that they had while
living will fall upon the ear. All this is to deceive the world and ensnare
them into the belief of this delusion. {EW 262.1}
I saw that the saints must have a thorough understanding of
present truth, which they will be obliged to maintain from the Scriptures. They
must understand the state of the dead; for the spirits of devils will yet
appear to them, professing to be beloved relatives or friends, who will declare
to them unscriptural doctrines. They will do all in their power to excite
sympathy and will work miracles before them to confirm what they declare. The
people of God must be prepared to withstand these spirits with the Bible truth
that the dead know not anything, and that they who thus appear are the spirits of
devils. {EW 262.2}
We must examine well the foundation of our hope; for we
shall have to give a reason for it from the Scriptures. This delusion will
spread, and we shall have to contend with it face to face; and unless we are
prepared for it, we shall be ensnared and overcome. But if we do what we can on
our part to be ready for the conflict that is just before us, God will do His
part, and His all-powerful arm will protect us. He would sooner send every
angel out of glory to make a hedge about faithful souls, than have them
deceived and led away by the lying wonders of Satan. [263] {EW 262.3}
I saw the rapidity with which this delusion was spreading. A
train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade
me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole
world was on board. Then he showed me the conductor, a fair, stately person,
whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed and asked
my attending angel who it was. He said, "It is Satan. He is the conductor,
in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive. They are
given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie that they may be damned. His
agent, the highest in order next to him, is the engineer, and others of his agents
are employed in different offices as he may need them, and they are all going
with lightning speed to perdition." {EW 263.1}
I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look
in the opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow
pathway. All seemed to be firmly united by the truth. This little company
looked careworn, as if they had passed through severe trials and conflicts. And
it appeared as if the sun had just arisen from behind a cloud and shone upon
their countenances, causing them to look triumphant as if their victories were
nearly won. {EW 263.2}
I saw that the Lord has given the world opportunity to
discover the snare. This one thing is evidence enough for the Christian if
there were no other; there is no difference made between the precious and the
vile. Thomas Paine, whose body has now moldered to dust and who is to be called
forth at the end of the one thousand years, at the second resurrection, to
receive his reward, and suffer the second death, is represented by Satan as
being in heaven, and highly exalted there. Satan used him on earth as long as
he could, and now he is carrying on the same work [264]
through pretensions of having Thomas Paine so much exalted and honored in
heaven; and as he taught here, Satan would make it appear that he is teaching
there. And some who have looked with horror at his life and death, and his
corrupt teachings while living, now submit to be taught by him—one of
the vilest and most corrupt of men, one who despised God and His law. {EW 263.3}
He who is the father of lies, blinds and deceives the world
by sending forth his angels to speak for the apostles, and to make it appear
that they contradict what they wrote by the dictation of the Holy Ghost when on
earth. These lying angels make the apostles to corrupt their own teachings and
to declare them to be adulterated. By so doing, Satan delights to throw
professed Christians and all the world into uncertainty about the Word of God.
That holy Book cuts directly across his track and thwarts his plans; therefore
he leads men to doubt the divine origin of the Bible. Then he sets up the
infidel Thomas Paine, as if when he died he were ushered into heaven, and now,
united with the holy apostles whom he hated on earth, were engaged in teaching
the world. {EW 264.1}
Satan assigns to each of his angels a part to act. He
enjoins upon them all to be sly, artful, cunning. He instructs some of them to
act the part of the apostles and to speak for them, while others are to act the
part of infidels and wicked men who died cursing God, but now appear to be very
religious. There is no difference made between the most holy apostles and the
vilest infidels. They are both made to teach the same thing. It matters not
whom Satan makes to speak, if his object is only accomplished. He was
intimately connected with Paine upon earth, aiding him in his work, and it is
an easy thing for him to know the very words and the handwriting of one who [265]
served him so faithfully and accomplished his purposes so well. Satan dictated
much of Paine's writings, and it is an easy thing for him to dictate sentiments
through his angels now, and make it appear that they come through Thomas Paine.
This is the masterpiece of Satan. All this teaching, purporting to be from apostles
and saints and wicked men who have died, comes directly from his satanic
majesty. {EW 264.2}
The fact that Satan claims that one whom he loved so well,
and who hated God so perfectly, is now with the holy apostles and angels in
glory, should be enough to remove the veil from all minds and discover to them
the dark, mysterious works of Satan. He virtually says to the world and to
infidels, "No matter how wicked you are, no matter whether you believe or
disbelieve in God or the Bible, live as you please, heaven is your home; for
all know that if Thomas Paine is in heaven, and so exalted, they will surely
get there." This is so glaring that all may see if they will. Satan is now
doing, through individuals like Thomas Paine, what he has been trying to do since
his fall. He is, through his power and lying wonders, tearing away the
foundation of the Christian's hope and putting out the sun that is to light the
narrow way to heaven. He is making the world believe that the Bible is
uninspired, no better than a storybook, while he holds out something to take
its place; namely, spiritual manifestations. {EW 265.1}
Here is a channel wholly devoted to himself, under his
control, and he can make the world believe what he will. The book that is to
judge him and his followers, he puts back into the shade, just where he wants
it. The Saviour of the world he makes to be no more than a common man; and as
the Roman guard that watched the tomb of Jesus spread the lying report that the
chief priests and elders put into their [266]
mouths, so will the poor, deluded followers of these pretended spiritual
manifestations repeat and try to make it appear that there is nothing
miraculous about our Saviour's birth, death, and resurrection. After putting
Jesus in the background, they attract the attention of the world to themselves
and to their miracles and lying wonders, which, they declare, far exceed the
works of Christ. Thus the world is taken in the snare and lulled to a feeling
of security, not to find out their awful deception until the seven last plagues
shall be poured out. Satan laughs as he sees his plan succeed so well and the
whole world taken in the snare. {EW 265.2}
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