Although Monument Valley is awesome, the presence of life gives promise that one day, the valley will blossom as the rose. Look to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
‘That’s true, but if money can be made by other people, they will go for it’, said Chez.
‘Satan studies people’, continued Vicki.
‘He, and his evil angels study all of us -- the way we walk, the way we talk, our mannerisms. Even in a séance, these evil angels pretend to be a loved one.’
‘Can they tell the future?’ asked Jual.
‘No, but they know human nature. They know a girl would like to be married and have children, so they say, ‘You will be married by 25 and have two or three children’. This is not some something amazing. Most people get married about that age and usually have that many children.’
‘That’s true.’
‘I saw a TV talk back show where seven mediums were interviewed. They were each asked to predict the winner of the Melbourne cup. Did they all get it right? No, not one of them. They didn’t even come in the first three.’
‘God is very much against mediums and witchcraft’, said Chez.
‘Listen to what the Bible says in Nahum 3:4.5.’
“Because of the multitude of whoredoms of the well favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcraft. Behold I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.”
‘Witches exist, even today. Fairy tales say they can’t die.’
‘So, can’t they die?’ asked Summer.
‘Oh, they will die and God will punish them. But right now, they are obeying the devil.’
‘I knew a girl once’, said Vicki. ‘She was in the army. On leave she and her friends went to visit a clairvoyant. They all went in one at a time, and when it was my friend’s turn, she sat down and the clairvoyant started talking. But she referred to my friend as a man. She was in uniform, but you would think this lady would have known it was a girl, after all, she was supposed to be able to tell the future.’
‘Ha, how dumb’, laughed Ziggy.
‘Another thing. The Harry Potter books seem so harmless, and the movie – it’s for kids, a fun movie. But the lady who wrote the books used names in them like Hogswart School, Professor Dumblewarf and others. They all come from the occult.’
‘What’s the occult Vicki?’
‘The word means ‘hidden’, and it refers to people who delve into the supernatural or secret things. There are a lot of television programs about the supernatural. You know when strange things happen, in séances too. That sort of thing is the occult. It’s not of God, but Satan.
‘I know of a man who writes against Harry Potter and he said all the names in the book are from witchcraft. He knows because he was once a witch. He became a Christian. He is so thankful that God delivered him from all that evil, and now he denounces witchcraft.
‘Another problem is that Mrs Rawlings depicts people with Christian values as mean, unfair and stupid. And she always makes witches kind and thoughtful.”
‘Harry Potter is very popular isn’t he?’ suggested Summer.
‘Yes’, they all replied.
‘Well, 35 million Harry Potter books have been printed in 35 languages, and its growing….”’
‘That’s a lot of books. People say its good because children’s reading has increased 80 percent. But is it good? At the same time these children are being educated to believe in witchcraft.’
‘Yes, they are even joining witches covens.’
‘Children?’
‘Yes, children are becoming witches.’
‘Remember the ‘Munsters’ of TV?’, asked Vicki.
‘They were just innocent fun weren’t they? And ‘I Dream of Jeanie’, ‘Bewitched’, and other films like that. They seemed innocent, but in reality Satan was conditioning people to accept the occult. Some people won’t go to see movies like ‘The Exorcist’, but they will watch the ‘fun’ series on TV. They don’t realise that the devil is behind all of them.’
‘I enjoyed some of those shows’, put in Summer.
‘Yes, that’s the idea. Everyone enjoys them, and in this way, the devil can educate the minds of both the children and their parents.’
‘I am glad we are learning what the Bible says.’
EXTRA BIBLE VERSES ON MAN IN DEATH
Psalm 13:3.
1 Thessalonians 4:15.
Matthew 27:52.
Acts 13:36.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23. 50-57.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.
1 Kings 11:43.
John 11:11-14.
Hebrews 9:27.
John 8:44.
Hebrews 2:14.
2 Timothy 1:10.
John 5:25-28.
Psalms 146:4.
Job 14:1-15.
Isaiah 38:10.11.
Ecclesiastes 9:5.6.
Psalm 115:17.
Psalm 6:5.
Psalm 88:11.
Revelation 6:14-17.
Job 19:23-27.
John 5:29.
Revelation 20:5.
Luke 24:39-43.
John 20:3-8. 15.16.26-28.
Philippians 3:20.21.
Hosea 13:14.
Isaiah 26:19.
Death is the end of life and devastating to the living. Monument Valley is a reminder that 'the living know they shall die'.
The following is a booklet on the subject of death, a simple Bible study for beginners.
It was written by Dusty and edited by Margaretha some years ago.
Michael has Left the Stage
‘In one of the last Harry Potter books, Rawlings introduced life after death. She took some time to do this, but you see, by then minds had been captured.’
‘Mum, isn’t it true’, interrupted Chez, ‘that people believe the spirit of a dead person returns to help the living?’
‘Yes, and this is why they say Michael Jackson’s ghost - or his spirit - is at Neverland. It is really modern Spiritism. After all, when you consider it – if the dead are admitted into the presence of God and holy angels, there to receive knowledge far exceeding that of earth, why should they not return to earth to enlighten and instruct the living?’
‘It doesn’t seem right. Why would they not be allowed to tell us?’ asked Emma.
‘I would like to know…..’
‘Me too’, said Ziggy.
Summer laughed. ‘As I was going to say, I would like to be warned if a disaster was going to happen.’
‘And when disasters do happen, it would be good if my dead loved ones could comfort me.’
‘Why do theologians and ministers teach wrong things?’
‘Yes, I would like to know that too’, added Thomas.
‘I guess they haven’t studied the Bible’, put in Kaleb.
‘Listen to this statement from an old book everyone’, said Chez. It was first written in 1884, then printed again in 1911.
“Evil spirits, in the beginning created sinless, were equal in nature, power, and glory with the holy beings that are now God’s messengers. But fallen through sin they are leagued together for the dishonor of God and the destruction of men. United with Satan in his rebellion, and with him cast out from heaven, they have, through all succeeding ages, co-operated with him in his warfare against the divine authority. We are told in Scripture of their confederacy and government, of their various orders, of their intelligence and subtlety, and of their malicious designs against the peace and happiness of men.” The Great Controversy p513.
‘So the evil angels are clever?’
‘Yes, very clever, and remember, they have had thousands of years of practise.’
Vicki continued. ‘Today you can buy books and DVDs on witchcraft. They even tell you how to make love potions. And they sell wands.’
‘To cast spells?’ asked Naomi.
‘Yes. That man I told you about said that what is in the books is real witchcraft.’
‘Even adults read the Harry Potter books.’
‘Yes, and see the movies’, added Chez, remembering the elderly woman who almost swooned over a Harry Potter movie.
‘As I said, parents are happy because their children are now reading. Before, nothing could get them to read a book, but now they will read and read about Harry.’
‘Let us get back to what the Bible says. Can we read 1 Peter 4:17?’ asked Jual.
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God.”
‘What does it mean “first begin at the house of God”?’ asked Naomi. ‘Does it mean those who claim to be Christians?’
‘Yes, that’s right’, answered Vicki.
‘Look’, said Chez. ‘This is what the dictionary says. “A Christian is a follower of Jesus, following whatever Jesus did, the way He acts, talks, thinks”.’
‘I remember when I was a kid’, recalled Vicki. ‘People believed you were a Christian if you went to church. But that doesn’t make a person a Christian. If I stayed in a garage for an hour, that wouldn’t make me a car would it?’
Everybody laughed.
‘It’s the same today. Going to church doesn’t make a Christian. In fact, many people don’t even go to church and they think they are Christians. But thinking you are a Christian doesn’t make you one either. You have to surrender your life to Jesus. It has to be a definite decision, something you want to do. You need a new heart, new motives, new interests.’
‘Yes’, said Chez, ‘and faith and trust. Only God can give us those things.’
‘You are right.’
Vicki continued. ‘Christians should want to know the truth about death, because after all, we will all die one day.’
‘So we need to go to the Bible?’
‘Yes. Let’s read another verse. Psalm 146:4.’
“Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: in that very day his thoughts perish.”
‘Well, that makes it clear.’
‘That’s right. You can’t think if you have no thoughts. I guess that means the brain too.’
‘Look at another one. It adds a bit more. Ecclesiastes 9:6. It’s only two books further on.’
“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”
‘This says their love, hatred and envy is gone.’
‘Yes, and their memory. So I guess they wouldn’t even remember their loves ones.’
‘That’s right --- if they could come back.’
‘But they can’t because they are asleep’, said Kaleb.
‘It’s so clear. You only have to go to the Bible, and yet people have séances, and they believe their Mum, Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa are talking to them. It’s cool to believe in the supernatural. People think it’s square to be a Christian.’
‘Well, I am old and square’, spoke Oma. ‘But now I know I can’t speak to any of you after I have gone. So please leave me sleeping in peace.’
‘We will….’ chorused everyone together.
‘Hey everyone – are you all clear on this?’ voiced Emma. ‘When you die you go to sleep?’
‘Yes’, they responded. ‘It’s very clear.’
Emma continued ‘And it depends on whether you come up in the first or the second resurrection as to whether you sleep for another 1000 years. And if you sleep 1000 years longer, you will die for eternity.’
‘That’s right’, cried Thomas with conviction.
“The rest of the dead lived not again until the 1000 years were ended.”
‘Yes, we read that at the beginning’, said Kaleb.
‘So what happens to those who are resurrected at the beginning of the 1000 years?’
‘We will read a Bible verse’, said Vicki. ‘The first book of Thessalonians 4:16.17.’
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we be with the Lord.”
‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’ Voices came from all directions.
‘Where will we go?’ asked Oma with enthusiasm.
‘Another verse. John 14:2.3.’
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Again, voices broke out around the table. ‘Wow, a mansion!’ ‘Oh how great.’ ‘So this is where we will go?’
Emma spoke excitedly, ‘It will so be wonderful.’
‘Now we can talk about the special resurrection?’ said Vicki.
‘Good’, they all cried out in unison.
‘Yes, a special resurrection will include the soldiers and priests who were responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross. Remember Jesus told Caiaphas he would see the Son of God coming in the clouds of heaven.’ (Matthew 26:64)
‘Will they have to die again?’ asked Summer.
‘Yes, and they sleep for a 1000 years.’
‘Oh I see’, said Thomas.
‘I want to ask everyone again’, said Emma.
‘Does everyone understand that when you have a séance, you don’t talk to people who have died?’
Everyone nodded.
‘It seems clear to me’, put in Kaleb.
‘I guess everyone just sleeps’, added Ziggy.
‘We have seen it lots of times in the Bible – the dead are asleep. So séances are deceiving people.’
‘That’s right Emma’, answered Vicki. ‘Séances are very deceptive, and sadly, it is those who are grieved by the death of their loves one who are hurt most. So séances are evil, and astrology, palm reading, crystal balls, tarot cards, crystals, so many more. They are all witchcraft.’
‘Are there good witches and bad witches?’
‘No, it’s all a deception; they are all under the evil angels. Palm readers get their predictions right about 3% of the time’, said Vicki.
‘Wow, you may as well have a guess yourself.’
‘You are right Summer. Jesus Christ and the Bible are 100% all the time. Mediums and others say they have a gift from God. Sadly they are deceived. Listen to what the Bible says in Leviticus 20:27.’
“A man or women who is a medium or spiritist among you, must be put to death.”
‘Oooooh, that’s heavy’, they all cried out.
‘Yes it is. Look at Deuteronomy 18:10.12.’
“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or who consults the dead.”
Everyone was amazed at the clarity of this verse.
‘So a medium doesn’t have a gift from God at all’, said Kaleb.
‘No, it’s a lie. The person might think it’s a gift, but the devil has lied to them.’
‘And you don’t go to heaven or hell when you die.’
‘And we should not go to séances.’
‘I learnt a lot’, said Summer.
‘I’m going to study the Bible from now on’, added Naomi.
‘And Michael Jackson is not in heaven. He is asleep’, said Oma, ‘which is where I will be soon.’
In consternation, many voices cried out, ‘Oh Oma, you aren’t going to die.’
‘Die? Who said anything about dying? It’s late, and I need my beauty sleep.’
Everyone laughed.
‘Goodnight Oma. I guess we should all be leaving.’
With goodbyes all around, everyone prepared to leave.
‘Heaven is a real place’, said someone.
‘Yes, it will be the happy and holy home of all who are truly surrendered to Jesus’, responded Vicki.
‘If we want the world, we can have it, but we can’t have heaven too.
‘You are right Vicki. ‘Who is going to decide for heaven?’
‘I am’, responded many happy voices.
‘We should have a Bible study on death’, said Kaleb. ‘I want to know where the dead are.’
‘That’s a really good idea, replied Thomas. ‘Death affects everyone, and people want to know, especially about their loves ones. People seem to think everyone goes to heaven whether they are good or bad. Won’t there be a judgment?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I think the Bible says something about a judgment. Let’s ask at the study.’
Both Kaleb and Thomas had been listening to talk back shows where people were asking about Michael Jackson. Where is he now? Many think he has gone straight to heaven.
‘Yes’, said Thomas. ‘I really want to know. Let’s organise it now.’
‘You get Naomi and the others, and I will ask Mum if she would like to join us.’
‘Mum’, said Kaleb, ‘We want to have a Bible study to find out what happens to the dead. It’s all because of Michael Jackson. People are saying he has gone to heaven. Even the DJ'S on the radio say he is in heaven now.’
‘That would be interesting’, replied Chez.
‘Imagine if he is up there looking down. He would see his children crying over him. That would be terrible. It would not be heaven. It would be more like hell. Fancy seeing your loves ones suffering, especially your Mum and Dad or your children. God would not allow that to happen. He loves us.’
‘Yes, it would be hard. I had a study on death when I was a kid with my Mum and Nan’, Chez recalled.
‘Did you really Mum?’
‘Yeah Kaleb. I seem to remember the Bible says the dead are sleeping. I have forgotten most of it, so it would be good to find out what happens.’
The next day, Ziggy, Summer, Emma and Jual joined Chez, Vicki, Naomi, Kaleb and Thomas. King James Bibles were brought to the table and everyone made themselves comfortable.
Naomi couldn’t wait. ‘Let’s start’, she urged.
‘Hold on, someone’s at the door’, said Chez.
‘It’s Mrs.Bradshaw.’
‘Hello, yesterday I asked Vicki if she wanted to go shopping and she told me what you were doing. I thought it would be really interesting as my husband died five years ago. I just assumed he was in heaven.’
‘Yes, come in Mrs Bradshaw.’
‘Call me Oma.’
‘Okay Oma. Here is a Bible. You can follow with us, and not take our word for it.’
‘Alright, let’s start’, Vicki said. ‘Open your Bibles to Daniel 12:2.’
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
‘Isn’t that like something in Revelation?’ suggested Emma.
‘Yes, that’s our next text. Turn to Revelation 20:5.’ “But the rest of the dead lived not again, until the thousand years were finished…”
‘That means there are two resurrections’, said Ziggy.
‘I never knew that’, admitted Thomas.
‘Me neither’, exclaimed Summer.
‘And what about the thousand years?’ asked Emma.
‘Let’s talk about that later’, said Jual. ‘That is another study.’
‘Mum, those texts say the dead are sleeping’, recalled Kaleb.
‘Yes’, remembered some of the others. ‘It says they will wake up. So they must be asleep.’;
‘That’s true’, said Vicki. ‘This time let’s look at Psalms 6:5. Can you read it please Kaleb.’
“For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in the grave who shall give thee thanks”.
‘I'm confused’, said Kaleb. ‘What about people who have seen ghosts? And those who have been to séances? They say they see and hear spirits speaking to them. If the dead are sleeping, who are the ghosts or spirits, and who's talking to them?’
Emma put in a word, ‘I suppose they are demons, because if the dead are asleep, it only leaves Satan and his evil angels doesn't it?’
‘Yes, the demons can impersonate the dead people.’
‘Oh, so is Satan impersonating Michael Jackson?’ asked Summer.
‘Some people say Michael Jackson’s ghost is roaming around his old home at Neverland’, added Thomas.
‘We need to wait and see what the Bible says.’
That’s true, but Jesus said the devil “is a liar, and the father of it”, so we can expect him to lie to us at any time he has the opportunity.’ (John 8:44)
‘Let’s have a look at 1 Kings 11.43 now.’
“And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead”.
‘It says he slept again’, said Summer.
‘So it does mean when you die you sleep?’
‘That’s funny’, said Ziggy. ‘I have been to a few churches in my life, and never have I heard that when you die you sleep.’
‘Yes’, commented Emma, ‘I always thought you went straight to heaven or hell. But I've never heard of anybody going to hell. What about Hitler and Idi Amin? Idi ate people. Hitler killed millions of Jews. They never said sorry, so they can’t be forgiven. It seems to me that a person can live like the devil and still go to heaven.’
‘That’s what most churches teach’, replied Ziggy.
‘It’s very wrong’, said Vicki. ‘Now let’s look Matthew 27:52.’
“And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose.”
‘Again it says they slept’, said Naomi.
‘Do you understand everything Oma?’ enquired Vicki.
‘Oh yes. It’s very interesting. It means my husband is just sleeping. He always liked to sleep’, she replied pensively.
‘I want to ask something’, said Emma. ‘When Eve was tempted with the apple, the serpent told her she would not die. Is this why people think you go straight to heaven or hell? Hell is supposed to be burning forever, but it can't be because Jesus is not cruel.’
‘Yes, people must think God is capable of being really merciless to people He loves. He's not a tyrant. He loves everybody. Look at Matthew 5:45.’
‘What about a judgment?’ put in Thomas and Kaleb together.
‘There are a few texts on it. I think Paul spoke about the judgment. Here, look at Acts 24:25.’
“It is he, the source of all being, and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in the judgment.”
‘That is talking about God isn’t it’, asked Thomas.
‘Yes, and Jesus too’, replied Vicki. ‘God has committed all judgment to His Son Jesus. That’s in John 5:22.’
‘Why did He give it to Jesus?’ asked Kaleb.
‘Because He is now the Head of the human race. And remember what they did to Him?’
‘Yes, the Jews killed Him.’
‘Did they? I thought it was the Romans’, suggested Thomas.
‘Doesn’t the Bible say Jesus laid down His life?’ asked Oma.
‘Yes, you are right. This is what the Bible says in John 10:17.18.’
“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”
‘Well, if Jesus laid down His own life, then it wasn’t the Jews who killed Him. And it wasn’t the Romans, it was Jesus Himself’, suggested Summer.
‘Not exactly. You see, sin killed Jesus.’
‘Sin?’ asked a few of them puzzled.
‘Yes. Jesus had the sins of the world laid upon Him and He was put on a cross. He died at 3.00 in the afternoon. As the afternoon wore on, the Jews wanted the bodies off the cross before the Sabbath, so the soldiers went by the crosses and broke the legs of the thieves, as they weren’t dead yet. But when a soldier came to Jesus, he saw that he was already dead. To make certain, he put a spear in His side. We’ll read it. Go to John 19:33.34.’
“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
‘Why blood and water?’ asked Emma.
‘Does it have something to do with His heart rupturing?’ asked Jual.
‘Yes, that’s right’, said Vicki. ‘It showed that Jesus died from a broken heart.’
‘Was He so upset about sin that His heart broke?’
‘He wasn’t just upset Ziggy. The weight of the sins of the world were so heavy, His heart could not take it. Eventually it collapsed, and He died.’
‘If Jesus had the sins of the world upon Him, then mine were there too’, said Chez softly.
‘Yes, and mine too’, added Summer.
‘And mine’, put in many of them, all feeling subdued at the thought. Everyone was quiet for some time, until Oma said thoughtfully.’
‘So in reality, I crucified Jesus.’
‘We all did Oma’, said Vicki. ‘And this is the reason we need to be judged.’
‘So there will be a judgment?’ asked Thomas.
‘Yes Solomon said this in Ecclesiastes 12:13.14. This book is after Proverbs.’ She waited until everyone had found it, then read the words:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
‘Most people never think of having to face the Judge of the earth. They just think God will save everyone. But even though God is love, He must also be just. If we don’t care about the suffering of Jesus, we are actually making a decision to crucify Jesus afresh.’
‘If we do that, we don’t really deserve heaven, do we?’ suggested Chez.
‘You are right dear. Now where were we in our discussion on death?’ asked Vicki. ‘Oh yes. When the Bible speaks of hell, it usually means the grave.’
‘Hey, if Michael Jackson’s spirit is seen at Neverland, he isn’t in heaven’, said Thomas.
‘No, it’s Satan impersonating him. Is that right Mum?’
‘You are right Kaleb, but we need to see more of what the Bible says’, answered Chez. ‘I know people want to think the ghost belongs to Michael Jackson, because it sells magazines, newspapers and…..’
‘Yes’, interrupted Thomas. ‘He has made millions and millions of dollars since his death.’
‘Well, the money won’t do him much good now’, suggested Emma.
To the Christian, death is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness...
until the resurrection.