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1 Sam 28 3-25 Zombies and Witches

Samuel dies, Israel buries him, Saul kicks all the witches out of the land. Israel sets up for war with the Philistines, but when he sees the battle, he is afraid, Inquires of God, God doesn’t answer, so Saul Goes to a Medium (sorcerer).  Find one at Endor. He goes in Disguise to her, and she even tells Saul that she shouldn’t be doing this. Saul says she’ll be fine. Saul asks for her to bring up Samuel.  Samuel shows up ,she screams and realizes that the man in disguise is Saul and the Spirit is Samuel. Samuel is upset that he’s been brought back from the Dead. Saul says he’s afraid because of the war, God isn’t talking, so he brought him up. He tells him him and his sons are going to die in battle tomorrow because of his disobedience, and Israel is going to lose the battle.  The woman offers some bread, Saul reluctantly eats it and him and his companions leave.

I want to focus on the medium and Saul because it’s the most important part of the story

This is a very difficult passage of scripture for two reasons

1. It brings up a dead spirit ( I thought dead people were dead)
2. Was it Samuel or the devil? Was it an apparition or was it real?
3. Remember-  Moses and Elijah were at the resurrection – Luke 9:29-30, Mt 17:1-3, Mark 9:3-4
4. Mk9:3-4His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow,such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.And Elijah appeared to them with Moses,and they were talking with Jesus.
5. Saints came out of their graves at the resurrection- READ Matt 27:51-53
6. This isnt the only story of someone appearing after death. It is very rare in the Bible- but it has happened- we cannot discount this story just because its exceptional- Dead come alive!
7. And of course- Jesus himself came back from the grave– A real bodily form- not a spirit
8. In Luke 24:36-43 Jesus appeared to the disciples and ate honeycomb and fish!
9. We can’t discount this as weirdness- People come back from the grave! It’s a promise!
10. John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
11. Coming back from the dead shouldn’t surprise you- it should encourage you! Its Real!

• It deals with the occult
• Many Scriptures talk about the evils of sorcery- so why does it seem sorcery was used?
• 1 sam 15: 22-23 READ          Deuteronomy 18:10-12 READ
• Leviticus 19:31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. And Leviticus 20:7
• So to some readers, it may appear that God uses a sorcerer and sorcery to accomplish this
• But God is not Using the Occult in this instance- HE brings up Samuel IN SPITE of the medium, not BECAUSE of the Medium- God will use whatever means he needs to accomplish his will
• God had stopped talking to Saul because Saul had turned from God- he was DONE with him
• What is REALLY going on here?
• One- Saul is under JUDGMENT by GOD– and this is the culmination of his judgment
• 1 Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
• That’s from SAMUEL and now Saul has fulfilled his Rebellion- but GOING to a WITCH
• The use of the witch by God to Pronounce the final judgment upon Saul is HUGE
• God will give people over to their sin- Rom 1:28 even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
• The judgment of God isn’t always immediate destruction- but giving you what you want
• Saul wanted witchcraft? God used witchcraft and the spirit of Samuel to pronounce it!
• Two- The witch wasn’t even used- she was probably a fake-
• 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”
• She was surprised that Samuel actually showed up- AND she couldn’t even discern it was SAUL
• God used her in SPITE of her- It wasn’t her power because no one has the power to raise the Dead except God himself. He holds that power- no one else

What can we get from it though?

1. The Spirit realm is Real
2. Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in  heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
3. Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
4. Don’t pretend that only what you see is real and that there isn’t another realm you can’t see
5. And its OUR job to fight these principalities and powers in the heavenly realms!
6. Ephesians 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
7. There is the Spirit of God, The Holy Spirit, the spirit of Satan and the spirit of the world etc
8. You can’t believe everything that seems to be “spiritual”
9. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
10. You test them against the word of God! If it doesn’t line up with the word, its not of GOD RUN
11. You have to pay attention that you don’t get sucked into a bad doctrine
12. 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
13. Ps Crystal spoke on Wednesday- people who don’t know the Gospel- who get pulled into
14. Gnosticism– Believing that there is a ‘new deeper revelation that what others had- spiritual is good- physical is deemed bad
15. Antinominism– Anti-law- wont hold to anything that was restrictive ‘anything goes’ Nicolatians
16. Marcionism- A Gnostic who discounted the Old Testament and the Gospels for ‘too Jewish”
17. Anti-Holy Spirit, Anti-Holiness, Anti-Bible, Anti-Church, Anti-Worship, Pro-Sexual immorality, Decietful spiritual practices, Social Justice Gospel, Prosperity Gospel etc etc.
18. Doctrines of DEMONS- seem Good because they have a element of Jesus but they are spirits
19. We are supernatural spiritists not secularists- we believe in a spirit world.
20. I acknowledge the existence of demons, dark angels, evil spirits and possession/oppression
21. Acts 19:11-20 MAYBE READ lol “Burned their books” Seven Sons of Sceva
22. Acts 16:16-19 “These men show you the way to be saved” Demons even know the truth!
23. All want to pull you away from the true Gospel of Repentance for Forgiveness of sins based on GOD’S GRACE. You don’t have to EARN IT- You just have to RECEIVE it- Turn from Sin to JESUS

• Have nothing to do with Occult practices
• Occult- supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
• Spiritism OUTSIDE the church- Everything Spiritual isn’t bad- What we do is spiritual-
• 1 Cor 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
• 1 cor 12-14 is solid learning for spiritual things in the church- we’re talking about
• Satan worship , horoscopes, séances, necromancy (communicating with the dead), supra-natural psychic phenomena, real magic (as opposed to simple sleight-of-hand tricks), fortune telling, spell casting, faith in Talismans, ouija boards, astrology, reincarnation, channeling, hypnotism, crystals, belief in power of objects, rituals, incantations, OTHER religions- Islam, Hinduism, Bahai, Mormonism, Wicca, voodoo, juju, Sikh, Jains, Rastafarianism, Nordic paganism, Universalism, Unitarianism, Native American earth religions, .
• I found a “Christian” ministry that does card readings, third heaven encounters, spiritual cleansings, dream interpretation, destiny card readings etc etc. and they CHARGE for it
• Subtle Christian Occultism-
• “Looking for a sign” Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
• “everything is interconnected” Connecting Random events as is Magical thinking- interpreting events as of God instead of going off the word of God as your guide
• Putting God “to a test” Deuteronomy 6:16  “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
• “Incantations” like spells  thinking a certain prayer  or repeated phrase will force God to Move
• Matthew 6:8“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
• Belief in the power of an altar, room, person, pastor, song, prayer, location, order of doing etc
• Is 8:19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?

• READ Galatians 5:20 Sorcery!
• Revelation 21:8  But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
• Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

The only Spirit you want in you is the Holy Spirit- He can renew you, he can deliver you, he can set you free. He can talk to you and talk through you. He is the seal of your salvation

 He can renew your spirit and fill you- “out of your belly shall flow streams of living water”

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