The 180 Blog

2. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

Ghosts, Spirits, and Reincarnation
And what, exactly, does the Bible teach about life after death--and spirits reaching out from beyond the grave? It doesn't leave much room for such things to happen.

The writer of Hebrews said, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…" (Hebrews 9:27).

That at least implies that death is followed by facing God, not by hanging around on earth in spirit form. It definitely rules out reincarnation for those who believe the Bible (since people die only once). And Paul wrote about his willingness to be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8), suggesting that for Christians, one immediately follows the other.

So even though I might feel strong emotions about getting a message from "the spirits all around us," including one from a lost loved one, I have to compare that idea to what the Bible teaches. And Scripture doesn't seem to teach that the spirits of lost loved ones can contact me through psychics.

Beyond that, we do believe the Bible leaves room for the possibility that Satan or demons could use a psychic to fool people into believing they were talking to the dead. Many psychics claim to be hearing voices or becoming possessed by the spirits of those they are "channeling." Though these claims are most often a hoax, it's at least possible that demons are involved in these processes.

That might be why God commanded the Israelites to avoid getting involved with such people: "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them" (Leviticus 19:31). Such contact could open a person up to demonic influence.

Only one passage in the Bible suggests contact with the dead is even possible--and even this story seems to suggest that things like that don't happen normally. It's the story of King Saul and the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28).

Saul was on the decline as king, and he knew it. He was afraid the Philistines were about to crush his army. So he called on God for some reassurance. But God wouldn't answer Saul.

So even though Saul had earlier had all the mediums and spiritists removed from the country, Saul's men somehow found one in Endor, and Saul went to see her in disguise. He wanted to talk to the prophet Samuel, who had died. But he had to swear to the witch in God's name that she wouldn't be punished if she did it. The king was willing to break his own law in order to find emotional reassurance from someone who had died.

When the witch did her thing, she cried out in surprise when she somehow suddenly became aware that Saul was the king. She said that she saw an old man rising out of the ground in a robe, and she delivered a disturbing message from Samuel to Saul that started out with the words, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" (1 Samuel 28:15).

The message that followed from Samuel is apparently something only Samuel and Saul (and God) would have known about. And it left Saul in greater terror than before he had come to the witch.

It's unclear exactly what happened in the witch's house that night, but Bible scholars suggest several possibilities:

Some suggest the woman was just pulling a hoax on Saul in order to give him what he wanted. However, it seems unlikely she would have known what Samuel told Saul.

Others say the woman was possessed by a demon who delivered the message to Saul through the woman. That's possible, since she was a witch in a time when there was much spirit worship. But the passage doesn't say anything about Samuel not really being Samuel.

A third idea--and the one that seems most likely--is that this witch intended to do a hoax, but got more than she expected. Perhaps she normally tricked people the way most psychics and mediums do today. The fact that she cries out in a loud voice when Samuel appears suggests that she was shocked and surprised to actually hear from someone who had "crossed over."

It's definitely possible that God used this means as a one-time supernatural event to communicate his message to Saul through a deceased prophet who had been used many times to deliver supernatural messages. But this example does not suggest that it's "normally" possible to talk with the spirits of humans who have passed on. In fact, it seems to suggest that only through God's power could such a thing happen.

Emotions are wonderful and powerful, but we can't trust feelings to run our lives. And we really can't trust them to help us make right decisions about the world of the supernatural. Instead, God calls us to give our emotions to him and trust what his Word teaches us about the spiritual universe.

**

Taken from "Don't Buy the Lie" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2004, Zondervan/Youth Specialties. Used by permission. Order the book here.

3. SURF REPORT

~ Fun with Lemons: Who knew lemons could be so much fun?

~ Whack-o-Wheen: A pointless, but fun Halloween video game

4. BIRTHDAYS

We have got two birthdays to celebrate this week! We wish the very BEST of birthdays to both Elli Ramirez and Harison Manning!

5. VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This will get you laughing! Darth Does The Blues

Want to see your video in the 180 Newsletter? We do! Grab your video camera, your friends, and let your creative juices flow!

Here's what you need to do. Create a video that is a maximum of 3 minutes in length, upload it to a site like You Tube and send the link to newsletter@180students.com. If your video is chosen as the Video of The Week you and all those who appear in the video will receive a free music CD (up to four CDs)



6. FORGETTABLE FACT

Pumpkins are members of the vine crops family called cucurbits.

7. POTENT QUOTABLES

"Of two evils choose neither."
- Charles Spurgeon

"To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it."
- G.K. Chesterton

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8. PARTING SHOT

Everywhere is walking distance if you have time.