"The Scriptures expressly show that the fallen spirits would be held under restraint for a long time, and that those restraints would gradually be relaxed in the judgment of the great day. (Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4.) Thus, it is not surprising to watchers to note that the chains are being gradually loosened, and that these ’wicked spirits’ have greater liberties than ever before. ’BE NOT HIGH-MINDED, BUT FEAR.’ There is still danger to those who ’don’t believe in spirits,’ and who regard as superstitious the Bible narratives of how our Lord and the Apostle cast out demons, and how all wizards, witches, mediums and others who proposed to hold communication with the dead were strictly prohibited in Israel. There is more danger to the self-confident, who ’dare investigate anything,’ and who boast ’a mind of their own,’ than of the humbler ones who say ’let us fear to tamper with what God has forbidden.’ The beginning of the trap is a bait to curiosity -- a visit to a ’medium, ’a seance’ with friends, at a neighbor’s home." R. 3490

Read the online newsletter: The Real Axis of Evil

Read the online excerpt (Chapter 10) from The Divine Plan of the Ages: "Spiritual and Human Natures Separate and Distinct"

Read online booklet: What Say the Scriptures Concerning Spiritism?

Listen to the audio presentation on Angels and Demons in the World Today

Bible Question: Tell me about the Witch of Endor, "familiar spirits", mediums.
 
It was Saul and you can find it in the book of 1 Samuel in the 28 chapter.
[7] Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
[8] And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
[9] And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? 1 Samuel 28:7-9
The following is a small lesson with a lot on content on the subject. It came from one of the very first multi-media production in the world. The date was 1916. The production used a combination of hand painted slides, a record player and personal addresses. It was called "The Photo Drama of Creation."
The Witch of Endor
We have already noted that the fallen angels at the
time of the Deluge were barred from further materialization.
Since then they have sought otherwise
to influence humanity. Few would communicate with them
if they knew their real character; hence they represent themselves
as being our dead friends and relatives. As such they
attempt to communicate with the living through "mediums,"
who are deceived, else they would not serve as "mediums" for
demons.--Isaiah 8:19;Deuteronomy 18:9-12.
In olden times these mediums were called witches, wizards,
necromancers. They had "familiar spirits," or were familiar
with the spirits who were disobedient in the days of Noah.
God had forewarned Israel against these evil spirits and their
mediums. He said that no such mediums should be permitted
to live in the land of Israel. They might operate amongst
nations not under Divine care, but God’s representative, Saul,
was commanded to put to death all such.
When King Saul got out of fellowship with God, who refused
further communications, he turned for advice to a witch at
Endor, and asked her to awaken Samuel the Prophet, who
meantime had died. The evil spirits impersonated Samuel
easily enough, and the witch gave the King messages in his
name, whereas Samuel was dead and could not give or receive
messages. King Saul saw nothing; he merely received an
answer from the witch, who said she saw and heard Samuel.
The evil spirits have some way of knowing much respecting
the future. But anybody under the circumstances might have
known the fate to expect for Saul and his army. The King
himself knew what to expect. It was this that troubled him
and led him to seek the witch, contrary to the Divine command.
It is not for a moment supposable that God and Samuel, having
refused to communicate with the King, would change and permit
a witch, condemned by the Divine Law, to overrule the
matter.--1 Chronicles 10:13,14.

Bible Question: What does the Old Testament teach about the soul? Do angels have a soul? Havard.

Dear Havard,
Thank you for your thoughtful questions. We are glad that you have found our website of interest.
So, what does the Old Testament teach about the soul? The Hebrew word translated "soul" is nephesh, which simply means "a breathing creature." Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words defines nephesh as "the essence of life, the act of breathing, taking breath... The Hebrew system of thought does not include the combination or opposition of the "body" and "soul" which are really Greek and Latin in origin." (1985, p. 237-238, emphasis added) Even though the Hebrew language may not include the thought it is included in the context of Genesis 2:7, And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. " Here the word nephesh is defined as body and breath becoming a (nephesh) soul.

The Hebrew words nephesh caiyah mean "living soul" and these words apply not only to man but to all of God’s living creatures. "To every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life."

But what about the angels? They are not souls! They live in heaven and do not breath and have no body like you and me... We do not need a soul to get to heaven... And the Bible says that the spirit goes back to God, when we die.
A Soul Is a sentient being. With this definition we could include the spiritual realm. The breath of life implies more than just oxygen it also implies life energy. If a lifeless body was had oxygen pumped into it but it wouldn’t lbe alive for there would be no life force in it. The definition of a soul has to be reasoned upon and expanded beyond a simple formula of breath and body even though this definition is generally correct in its simple form. A spirit being has a spiritual body and the life principle which makes it a soul. I Cor. 15:45, 40 implies this although it doesn’t directly call spirit beings souls. "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit....There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial (spirit being) is one, and the glory of the terrestrial (earthly being)is another."

See the following for further reading: http://www.biblestudents.com/htdbv5/htdb0136.htm
http://www.biblestudents.com/whyareyouachristian_01.cfm

Sincerely, JS

Bible Question: When I die can I become an angel?

A summary of our viewpoint of the scriptures on this subject leads us to
believe that there is a spiritual world in the heavens and human/fleshly
world on earth. There are various levels of natures in the human/fleshly
world like rocks, plants, animals, humans. There are also different natures
in heaven. Although there are angels, not all of them are immortal. Take for
example, Satan, who is an evil angel. Revelation states that God will
eventually destroy Satan and his legions of demons (Revelation 20; Hebrews
2:14). We know that God does not want everyone to be an angel because the
scripture says, "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens: God
himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he
created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited..." (Isaiah 45:18) God
has offered the prize of immortality in a spiritual realm to those who
follow in the footsteps of Christ and sacrifice their lives to following His
will. This requires diligence and the giving up of a resurrection as a human
being in Christ’s Kingdom, guaranteed to the entire world by the death of
Jesus. (John 5:28, 29; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 1 Corinthians 15:22)


The following is an excerpt from "Studies in the Scriptures, Series 1" also
known as "The Divine Plan of the Ages" that elaborates further on the
subject:

God had arranged that man in Eden should have access to life-sustaining
trees, and the paradise in which he was placed was abundantly supplied with
numbers of "every [kind of] tree" good for food or for adornment. (Gen.
2:9,16,17) Among the trees of life good for food was one forbidden. While
for a time forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge, he was permitted to
eat freely of trees which sustained life perfectly; and he was separated
from them only after transgression, that thereby the death-penalty might go
into effect. Gen. 3:22

Thus the glory and beauty of humanity are seen to be dependent on the
continued supply of life, just as the beauty of the diamond is dependent on
the continued supply of sunlight. When sin deprived humanity of the right to
life, and the supply was withheld, immediately the jewel began to lose its
brilliancy and beauty, and finally it is deprived of its last vestige in the
tomb. His beauty consumes away like a moth. (Psa. 39:11) As the diamond
loses its beauty and brilliancy when the light is withdrawn, so man loses
life when God withholds the supplies from him. "Yea, man giveth up the ghost
[life] and where is he?" (Job 14:10) "His sons come to honor, and he knoweth
it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." (Verse
21) "For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the
grave whither thou goest." (Eccl. 9:10) But since a ransom has been found,
since the death penalty has been provided by the Redeemer, the jewel is to
have its beauty restored, and is again to reflect perfectly the Creator’s
image when the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings.
(Mal. 4:2) It is because of the sin-offering, the sacrifice of Christ, that
"All that are in their graves shall come forth." There shall be a
restitution of all things; first an opportunity or offer of restitution to
all, and ultimately the attainment of human perfection by all who will obey
the Redeemer.

This, however, is not the reward to which Jesus refers as the end of the
narrow way. From other scriptures we learn that the reward promised to those
who walk the narrow way is the "divine nature"--life inherent, life in that
superlative degree which only the divine nature can possess--immortality.
What a hope! Dare we aspire to such a height of glory? Surely not without
positive and explicit invitation could any rightfully thus aspire.

From 1 Tim. 6:14-16 we learn that the immortal or divine nature was
originally the possession of divinity only. We read: "He [Jesus] in his time
[the Millennial age] will show who is the blessed and only potentate--the
King of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the
light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see."
All other beings, angels, men, beasts, birds, fish, etc., are but vessels
holding each its measure of life, and all differing in character, capacity,
and quality according to the organism which it has pleased the Creator to
provide for each.

Further, we learn that Jehovah, who alone possessed immortality originally,
has highly exalted his Son, our Lord Jesus, to the same divine, immortal
nature; hence he is now the express image of the Father’s person. (Heb. 1:3)
So we read, "As the Father hath LIFE IN HIMSELF [God’s definition of
"immortality"--life in himself--not drawn from other sources, nor dependent
on circumstances, but independent, inherent life], so hath he given to the
Son to have LIFE IN HIMSELF." (John 5:26) Since the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus, then, two beings are immortal; and, amazing grace! the same offer is
made to the Bride of the Lamb, being selected during the Gospel age. Yet not
all of the great company who are nominally of the Church will receive this
great prize, but only that "little flock" of overcomers who so run as to
obtain it; who follow closely in the Master’s footsteps; who, like him, walk
the narrow way of sacrifice, even unto death. These, when born from the dead
in the resurrection, will have the divine nature and form. This immortality,
the independent, self-existent, divine nature, is the life to which the
narrow way leads.

This class is not to be raised from the tomb human beings; for we are
assured by the Apostle that, though sown in the tomb natural bodies, they
will be raised spiritual bodies. These all shall be "changed," and even as
they once bore the image of the earthly, human nature, they shall bear the
image of the heavenly. But "it doth not yet appear what we shall be"--what a
spiritual body is; but "we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like
him," and share in "the glory to be revealed." 1 John 3:2; Col. 1:27; 2 Cor.
4:17; John 17:22; 1 Pet. 5:10; 2 Thess. 2:14

Not only is this high calling to a change of nature confined exclusively to
the Gospel age, but it is the only offer of this age. Hence our Lord’s words
quoted at the beginning of <PAGE 212> this chapter include on the broad road
to destruction all who are not on the way to the only prize now offered. All
others are still on the broad road--these only have as yet escaped the
condemnation that is on the world. This, the only way of life now open,
because of its difficulty, finds few who care to walk in it. The masses of
mankind in their weakness prefer the broad, easy way of self-gratification.

The narrow way, while it ends in life, in immortality, might be called a way
of death, since its prize is gained through the sacrifice of the human
nature even unto death. It is the narrow way of death to life. Being
reckoned free from the Adamic guilt and the death penalty, the consecrated
voluntarily surrender or sacrifice those human rights, reckoned theirs,
which in due time they, with the world in general, would have actually
received. As "the man Christ Jesus" laid down or sacrificed his life for the
world, so these become joint-sacrificers with him. Not that his sacrifice
was insufficient and that others were needed; but while his is
all-sufficient, these are permitted to serve and to suffer with him in order
to become his bride and joint-heir. So, then, while the world is under
condemnation to death, and is dying with Adam, this "little flock," through
the process of faith reckonings and sacrifice, already described, are said
to die with Christ. They sacrifice and die with him as human beings, in
order to become partakers of the divine nature and glories with him; for we
believe that if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we
suffer with him, we shall also be glorified together. Rom. 8:17 and 2 Tim.
2:11,12

In the beginning of the Millennial age, those who now walk the narrow way
will have gained the great prize for which they ran, immortality; and being
thus clothed with the divine nature and power, they will be prepared for the
<PAGE 213> great work of restoring and blessing the world during that age.
With the end of the Gospel age, the narrow way to immortality will close,
because the select "little flock" that it was designed to test and prove
will have been completed. "Now is the accepted [Greek, dektos, acceptable or
receivable] time"--the time in which sacrificers, coming in the merit of
Jesus and becoming dead with him, are acceptable to God--a sacrifice of
sweet odor. Death, as the Adamic penalty, will not be permitted forever; it
will be abolished during the Millennial age; as a sacrifice it will be
acceptable and rewarded only during the Gospel age.

It is only as "new creatures" that the saints of this age are on the way to
life; and only as human beings are we consecrated to destruction, as
sacrifices. If, as human creatures, we be dead with Christ, as new,
spiritual beings, we shall live with him. (Rom. 6:8) The mind of God in us,
the transformed mind, is the germ of the new nature.

We hope this is helpful to your Bible studies. The complete book, "The
Divine Plan of the Ages" is available on our Web site and will likely help
you in further studies. If you do have any more questions on this subject or
other subjects, please feel free to e-mail us personally. May God bless you.

Sincerely,
JG