SECOND QUARTER 2024
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #10
JUNE 8, 2024
“SPIRITUALISM EXPOSED”

 

Modern Spiritualism began four years after the disappointment of 1844 and fifteen years before the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1863. This rise of Spiritualism began in 1848 at a house in Hydesville, New York through a rapping sequence of communication between fallen angels and Catherine and Margaretta Fox. From this small beginning Spiritualism has paralleled the development of the three angels’ messages which culminate in the third angel’s message.

But Spiritualism and its message grew and advanced much more rapidly than did our Church and its message.

It is difficult to determine the exact membership of this false movement. By the 1850s, there were thousands of Spiritualist societies, circles, and groups across the United States, indicating a sizable membership base. These societies organized seances, lectures, and other events to promote the belief in communication with the spirit world. Spiritualism grew rapidly from 2 persons in 1848 to over 8,000,000 by the end of the century.

“By 1897, spiritualism was said to have more than eight million followers in the United States and Europe.” (Three Forms of Thought; M.M. Mangassarian Addresses the Society for Ethical Culture at Carnegie Music Hall.” The New York Times, November 29 1897). In comparison, our Church from its beginning in 1863 with 3,500 members grew to 26,112 by the end of the year in 1888 and to 56,000 members by the same year. (adventistarchives.org).

J. N. Andrews, our first missionary, went to Switzerland in 1874. Spiritualism spread to England much earlier, in the 1850s. From there, it spread rapidly to France and beyond. The movement attracted a diverse following, including rural dwellers, urban middle classes, intellectuals, scientists, aristocrats and politicians.

By 1874, Spiritualism was quite widespread, particularly in the United States. It was a time of rapid expansion for the movement. But in the beginning members of the movement did not form churches. They spread their message through public meetings, lectures, and the missionary activities of mediums.

Later in the lesson for this week we will consider modern Spiritualism and its message as the counterfeit of the Remnant and “Third Angel’s Message.” Both messages include God’s love, mercy, and compassion. But they are not the same.

At this juncture let’s think about the first three days of our lesson. These lessons are regarding the state of the dead as revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. There are a multitude of texts stating both explicitly and implicitly that the dead are dead(!) and not alive. It will be good for us to memorize a few of these texts or passages, because some of us will be challenged by manifestations of dead loved ones.

The foundation of Spiritualism is the continued consciousness of the soul after death. The last paragraph of the page titled “Defining Spiritualism” on the website of the National Spiritualist Association of Churches states:

“The Phenomena of Spiritualism consists of Prophecy, Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Gift of Tongues, Laying on of Hands, Healing, Visions, Trance, Apports, Levitation, Raps, Automatic and Independent Writings and Paintings, Voice, Materialization, Photography, Psychometry and any other manifestation proving the continuity of life as demonstrated through the Physical and Spiritual senses and faculties of man.” (Emphasis supplied).

All their teachings and all their practices are used to “prove” the so-called immortality of the soul. All their teachings build on this foundational dogma, thus attempting to prove “the continuity of life.” Spiritualism claims to be a scientific movement, but it is not. It cannot prove that life continues after death.

On their website there is the claim that “Spiritualism is the Science, Philosophy, and Religion of continuous life, based upon the demonstrated fact of communication, by means of mediumship, with those who live in the Spirit World.”

The website further states its scientific parameters [which are not scientific]: “Spiritualism Is a Science because it investigates, analyzes and classifies facts and manifestations demonstrated from the spirit side of life.” (Emphasis original).

No one disputes that something supernatural occurs in seances or by unholy spirits impersonating humans who have died. No one disputes that mediums “whose organism is sensitive to vibrations from the spirit world and through whose instrumentality, intelligences in that world are able to convey messages and produce the phenomena of Spiritualism.” This is not science.

Science has an established method made up of a series of steps followed by scientific investigators to answer specific questions about the natural world. This involves making observations, formulating a hypothesis, and conducting scientific experiments. Scientific inquiry starts with an observation followed by the formulation of a question about what has been observed. Then it is tested by other scientists to see if the results are repeatable. This is not done in Spiritualism. Theirs is mere subjective opinion. Even scientists get captivated, snared, and captured by this false philosophical religion.

It is essential today and will be essential especially in the future, for us to know Bible passages that address who is and who is not immortal. We must also know when immortality will be given to those who have faith in Christ alone for salvation.

When studying the Bible with others not of our faith, I present the fact that God is the only one who “has immortality” (1 Timothy 6:16). Immortality is not inherent in any part of our faculties whether body, mind, or soul. Immortality is the gift of God. It will be given when Jesus returns to gather His people to Himself. Paul in his first letter to the Church in Corinth assures believers of this. See 1 Corinthians 15:51-54.

In looking at the immediate context, followed by the extended context of this passage, we learn about the two Adams and their work which affects every human being. In verses 46-50 we read: “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.”

In bearing “the image of the man of dust,” who caused sin and death to enter the world (Romans 5:12), we all die and return to dust just as did the first Adam. However, we do so as the consequence of his sin (Genesis 2:7; 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20). But this dust will live again as real people when Jesus returns and gives immortality to those who believe from a heart-felt appreciation of Him and in Him (Romans 10:9-10). What happens to the lost? They too became the dust of death. They too shall live again. But not life to immortality, not to eternal life, but to judgment where they will receive the sentence of eternal death.

In the extended context, going back to 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 we learn further that “Since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

Mrs. White has some convincing and persuasive insights on this passage regarding the “all:”

In consequence of Adam's sin, death passed upon the whole human race. All alike go down into the grave. And through the provisions of the plan of salvation, all are to be brought forth from their graves. "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust;" "for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:22. But a distinction is made between the two classes that are brought forth. "All that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28, 29. They who have been "accounted worthy" of the resurrection of life are "blessed and holy." "On such the second death hath no power." Revelation 20:6. But those who have not, through repentance and faith, secured pardon, must receive the penalty of transgression--"the wages of sin." They suffer punishment varying in duration and intensity, "according to their works," but finally ending in the second death. —Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 544, emphasis supplied.

All—both good and evil doers—will be raised from their graves “through the provisions of the plan of salvation.” Those who are made righteousness and who are kept righteous by Christ alone, through His grace alone, and by our faith in Him alone, will receive His gift of immortality. Those who reject or neglect Christ and His righteousness cannot receive God’s gift of immortality. Instead, they will receive the sentence of eternal condemnation.

Satan attempts to subvert all of the above. He does this through his false teaching of the natural immortality of the soul. This, then, is what the last three days of our lesson are about—Spiritualism and its exposure in “the last days,” which are our days. The devil attempts to avoid this exposure. He uses “signs and wonders” along with spectacular miracles by which he deceives multitudes and thus avoids exposure.

His miracles are not designed to oppose Christ openly, but he deceives people by masquerading as Christ. The devil’s last day program will be religious. He presents himself as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). His role of counterfeited goodness will be strengthened and at last he will come to earth appearing as Christ.

We have counsel to prepare for that event:

Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise. To all the testing time will come. By the sifting of temptation the genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His word that they would not yield to the evidence of their senses? Would they, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible and the Bible only? Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way, entangle them with earthly treasures, cause them to carry a heavy, wearisome burden, that their hearts may be overcharged with the cares of this life and the day of trial may come upon them as a thief. —ibid., pp. 625-626.

On Spiritualism’s opening website page (https://nsac.org/), there is a field of sunflowers with the sun in the background shining through the flowers. The words on this page are: “Spiritualism The Light of the World.” This light is in reality the reflected darkness of Satan in his role as Christ. He will come to us as “an angel of light,” impersonating Christ, the true “Sun of Righteousness.” And as sunflowers turn to, and follow the sun all day long, so also will the followers of Satan follow him.

The sunflower as a logo on Spiritualism’s website carries a range of metaphoric meanings, often associated with positivity, warmth, and growth. The implications in the use of the sunflower here are: vitality and energy, positivity and happiness, adoration and loyalty. Just as the sunflower turns its head to follow the sun across the sky, it symbolizes loyalty, adoration, and dedication to the sun.

Just as Satan is a counterfeit of Christ who is the “Light of world” (John 8:12), so Spiritualism’s adherents are the counterfeit of followers of Christ who are the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

Although Satan is the counterfeit, he hates everything Jesus stands for. He hates righteousness, justice, law, mercy and love. He hates most of all God’s law and justice. But he does not attack these openly. God’s message, especially in these last days, is about His law and justice as well as His love. Satan proclaims the love of God as a core message of Spiritualism. His message of God’s love sounds very good and very enticing. But it is “fake news.” Consider the following:

Since “God is love” and His message is about His love, the devil had to combat the Person and His love. He inserted into the minds of man a fictional account of God and His love.

Through Spiritualism, Satan “appeals to the reason by the presentation of elevating themes; he delights the fancy with enrapturing scenes; and he enlists the affections by his eloquent portrayals of love and charity….

“Even in its present form, so far from being more worthy of toleration than formerly, it is really a more dangerous, because a more subtle, deception. While it [Spiritualism] formerly denounced Christ and the Bible, it now professes to accept both. But the Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and vital truths are made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism, making little distinction between good and evil. God’s justice, His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are all kept out of sight.” —Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 553, 557–558, emphasis supplied.

Spiritualism claims that God does not condemn. This claim came home to me with force while at a retreat. On one occasion I was impressed to take the book Education with me to a meeting where a friend of mine was to speak. He waxed eloquently in his articulate and persuasive manner. He stated unequivocally that God does not condemn. I read to him the following from the book:

“Spiritualism asserts that men are unfallen demigods; that 'each mind will judge itself;’ that ‘true knowledge places men above all law;’ that ‘all sins committed are innocent;’ for ‘whatever is, is right,’ and 'God doth not condemn.’” —Ellen G, White, Education, pp. 227-228 (1903), emphasis supplied).

My friend was shocked and asked, “Where did you get that?” I gave him the source he was bewildered. He said he had never read it. Later, that evening during supper he said, “Finneman, you have an arbitrary God.” I asked him to explain and he attempted to do so. When he finished, I asked him some simple questions about condemnation in the Bible, such as, “Do You believe that either prophets or God’s people or angels or God Himself executed evil people in Old Testaments times?” He answered, “Yes.” Then I asked, “But you do not believe God executes people at the end of the millennium after their judgment?” His answer was “No.” I then replied, “You have an arbitrary god.” He remained silent.

I went on to explain, if we believe justice is based only on the natural law of cause and effect, which he was doing, it follows that when a person dies he reaps what he sowed in life. It follows also there is no need of a resurrection of the lost. And most importantly, there no reason for a future judgment based on God’s justice. I used the following illustration: Under the law of cause and effect, if a person is actively and continually promiscuous, he will probably contract a venereal disease. However, there is another law, a moral law called the Ten Commandments. This law does include the law of cause and effect such as in breaking the seventh commandment the person, as in the illustration, will likely contract the disease. But there is more to this.

In transgressing the moral law, at least two more principles come into play. These are responsibility and accountability to God who is the Judge. If God deals only with the natural law of cause and effect, there is no need of a future judgment and no need for retributive justice.

To distance itself from God’s justice,  Spiritualism teaches that God does not condemn. This is because God is a God of mercy and love and compassion, but without justice or personal accountability to Him. This is the reason for its teaching of a counterfeit love of God. This is why the prophet wrote, as quoted above, that “God’s justice, His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are all kept out of sight.”

The three angels’ message is about God’s judgment and the fearful warnings against false worship, along with the affirmation of His law as well as “the everlasting gospel” and “the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:6-11). Satan hates everything about this message because it exposes him for what he is.

This thought in closing:

“If we would have the spirit and power of the third angel's message, we must present the law and the gospel together, for they go hand in hand. As a power from beneath is stirring up the children of disobedience to make void the law of God, and to trample upon the truth that Christ is our righteousness, a power from above is moving upon the hearts of those who are loyal, to exalt the law, and to lift up Jesus as a complete Saviour. Unless divine power is brought into the experience of the people of God, false theories and ideas will take minds captive, Christ and His righteousness will be dropped out of the experience of many, and their faith will be without power or life” —Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers, pp.161-162.

It is in and by the message of Revelation 14 that Spiritualism is thoroughly exposed.

 

~Jerry Finneman