Straight to Heaven

[foc]

VERY interesting topic.
We've been in a lot of discussions about this, too.
I never thought that paradise and heaven might be two different places...sort of like the difference between 'hell' and the 'lake of fire' possibly, one being temporary until the resurrection to either life or condemnation.

 

[foc]

Here is what the Bible has to say about when you come into contact with a spirit:

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3 NIV)

Personally I take that just as meaning testing the 'spirit' of the teaching itself, not a individual spiritual entity....at least, based on the whole comment there.

Every "spirit", in my opinion, would just mean every 'person' (their teaching by asking them directly since there were many gnostics and other false ones about)...it just sounds like thats what is being said based on the false prophets comment.

Wesley said this;
"1Jn 4:1 - Believe not every spirit - Whereby any teacher is actuated. But try the spirits - By the rule which follows. We are to try all spirits by the written word: "To the law and to the testimony!" If any man speak not according to these, the spirit which actuates him is not of God."

 

[SpiritLedEd]

In 2Cor 11:14, Paul speaks about the devil's ability to go about masquerading as an angel of light. I suspect that if he can do it, his cohorts are empowered to do it as well. So, yes we need to test the messages we receive from other people. But we also need to test the spirits that plant thoughts in our minds without the involvement of other people.


SLE

 

[foc]

In 2Cor 11:14, Paul speaks about the devil's ability to go about masquerading as an angel of light. I suspect that if he can do it, his cohorts are empowered to do it as well. So, yes we need to test the messages we receive from other people. But we also need to test the spirits that plant thoughts in our minds without the involvement of other people.


SLE

agreed, but my point is about that passage specifically.
I just dont personally see that the intent is for us to talk directly to 'spirits' (inhuman spiritual beings such as demons) themselves.

I see no other scripture condoning this sort of thing, so Im not convinced that this or any other scripture is literally telling us to talk to, and receive and answer from, demonic, anti-christ spiritual entities (ie not man but a demon)

 

[gotime]

talking to the dead is really talking to the devil for "the dead no nothing nor is there any wisdom in death" if someone claims to be dead or a ghost of a loved one or anyonne for that matter then they are 100% not of GOd. read the BIble its all there.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

Straight to Heaven.

I see your point. Until a few months ago, I was among those who rebuked the devil and his demons in Jesus' name until I was taught that only God can originate a rebuke against thre enemy. The teaching was based on Jude 8-9, which speaks of show-offs who were going about slandering celestial beings (spirits). Verse 9 says: "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil over the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said 'The Lord rebuke you!'"

If the archangel Michael admitted that a rebuke of Satan had to come direct from God, I must ask God to do the rebuking directly, too.

SLE

P.S. I think we're drifting off topic here. Let's try to go back to the topic that Cody raised.

SLE