House Built Upon the Rock Jesus Christ

 Is it possible to be in love the idea of heaven and immortality more than loving God and His Son Jesus Christ’s appearing!  When you think about it, some people are that egocentric about inheriting the everlasting hills of the New Earth.  Judas Iscariot was all about the sin of avarice.  He loved the idea of becoming wealthy and gaining the world, which is why he attached himself to Jesus Christ, outwardly feigning to be a follower, but in the end betraying Jesus for what he could get in return.  Jesus loved Judas and taught him along with the other disciples, yet His word had no place in Judas’ heart.  We must ask ourselves and ask God to reveal to us our true self, that we might shun all that is earthly, sensual, and devilish. 

I am going to hand out something here, which is a companion lesson that I believe will add to your learning on what I will now teach.  Please do not read this so you might focus first on the main meal message.  This can be desert for later.  And before I ask Father to bless our gathering and myself your servant, I want you to be sure to jot down any questions or comments that come to mind.  Perhaps as I go through the message we can share together in this learning experience.  I do not want to be as one that dominates but rather be one who allows the Holy Spirit to do His perfect work.

Prayer:

To start off our lesson this evening we must ask the question that seems on the surface not needed to be asked, yet it must, so that we thoroughly understand the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.  “What is eternal life?

John 17:1-3  These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify thee:  As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.  And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

In these three verses the Lord Jesus Christ addressed His Father six times and Himself as His Father’s Son twice.  He proclaimed His ministry to glorify Father, and He includes in His prayer His ministry to redeem men by the power of Father and to give them eternal life, then He says what?

This is eternal life (that means that He is giving definition to what eternal is), that they (His disciples as well as we ourselves) might know Father, the only True God and Jesus Christ (His Son).  Remember that He (Jesus) said He should give eternal life to as many as Father had given Him, right?

Let’s dig deeper in the mine of Truth and examine further the teachings of Jesus regarding eternal life.

John 3:14-16?  “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This simple but eloquent statement declares that both Jesus and His Father desire to give Eternal to all who believe in Jesus.

Let us notice a similar statement which seems to be different topically but is right on target and in perfect harmony with these verses.

Luke 11:13.  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?

Now, does it say anything there about eternal life in this verse or the surrounding context?  Yes or No?  If you say no, then please go with me to the following Scripture…

Ephesians 1:7-14  In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to His good pleasure which he hath purposed in Himself:  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:  That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Points made:

1 We have (past tense) redemption in the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins by His grace.  The work of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God in paying for man’s redemption is a finished work done at the cross of Calvary.

2. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times? (the end of time) He (God the Father) will gather all things both in heaven and earth in One (In His Son Jesus Christ). 

3. In Christ we have obtained (past tense) an inheritance. And what did we learn from John 3:14-16 that our inheritance is in Jesus Christ? Our inheritance is eternal and everlasting life.

4. After we believed, we were sealed with that Holy Spirit, Who is the earnest (down payment) on that eternal life.  You see brethren, the Holy Ghost is the down payment of our inheritance until when?

5. Until the redemption (future tense) of the purchased possession. 

What did Jesus purchase on the Cross of Calvary?

1 Corinthians 5:7, 8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:  therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

What this text tells us is that when Israel observed Pesach, they first sacrificed the Lamb at even only after all leaven was removed from their tent/home/dwelling.  And it was cleansed of leaven for the entire week 7 days of the feast.  Therefore, when we look at the typical meaning of Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, we are to see that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God having been sacrificed has the authority and power to both forgive and He also cleanses us from all sin. 

1 John 1:9-1 John 2:4 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  And He is the propitiation (Mercy Seat-It was the cover on top of the  Ark of the Covenant that contained the Ten Commandments) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep His Commandments.  He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

And so we are admonished that after we have been forgiven and washed by the Lamb’s blood we are to cease from sin and walk in righteousness, through Jesus Christ.  But how is this possible?

These feasts connected to the Jewish annual calendar have been nailed to the cross and are only perpetual in the degree of their fulfillment in Jesus Christ working out His plan of redemption in us, that sin shall not rein in our mortal bodies once we have received the crucified, buried, and risen Lamb of God.  The life we now live, is lived not for us Amen?  But for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.  We are to be reckoned as dead indeed to sin but alive unto God now through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Halleleujah!!!  Can you say Amen?  Thank you Blessed Lord Jesus.  How is this possible then?  Why by having eternal life.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit (mind), which are God's. 

The blood redemption has been paid.  Amen!!!   How dare we, or as St. Paul says it, “God forbid!”  That we should ever think that we can either make void the law of God through faith or think that we who are dead to sin in Christ think we can continue to live therein.  We are talking about the Word of God helping us to overcome unbelief and sin that results from the lack of knowledge of what His will is for us in Jesus Christ.  If you desire victory, you must understand what being dead to sin and being alive to God in Jesus Christ is all about from God’s standpoint.  We must know Him and the power of His salvation.

At this point allow me to draw from the Old Testament to try and explain this mystery regarding the Holy Ghost and Him being the earnest (down payment of eternal life).

I will share this by drawing from the name Immanuel as found in the Messianic prophetic book of Isaiah and from the Old Covenant feast of Tabernacles.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 

The New Testament declares the following in Matthew 1:18-25, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

The point of this context is to verify, to seal up the truth of the prophecy that Jesus Christ came forth of a virgin.  Galatians 4:3-5 declares, “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

That is fulfilled, but do not forget the name Emmanuel.  What is its interpretation?  God with us.  Was Jesus God manifest in the flesh? 1 Timothy 3:16 says He was right?  Okay now let’s examine another Jewish annual feast that teaches the same thing about Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and our inheritance of eternal and everlasting life.

In Deuteronomy 16:12-16, in summary the Lord told the Israelites, “Remember that you were a bondman in the land of Egypt.”  What does Egypt represent in figure to God’s people?  It represents the place where Israel was a slave, not permitted to do God’s will but the will of an obstinate atheistic Pharaoh.  He said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”

The Lord sent forth Moses to take Israel up and out of Egypt.  He then brought them to Mt Sinai where God taught them.  You see?  They had to be prepared to enter into the promised land by receiving the knowledge that Pharaoh would not let them have.  He desired for them to be blind and subservient to him forever.  Any man or organization, even a church, which will not permit its people to hear the Truth as it is in Jesus Christ, is no better then the Pharaoh of Egypt.

But God delivered His people with a mighty hand and brought them out into the wilderness and there He tabernacles with them.

Leviticus 23:39-43 “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath (rest), and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath (rest).  And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:  That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Now at this junction we must verify what this feast was for.

1.     To remember that they were slaves in Egypt

2.     To remember how that they lived I tents also.

But God also lived in a tent with His people didn’t He?  Yes he did.  In the very midst of all 12 Tribes of Israel there was the Tabernacle of God inside the surrounding courtyard fence.

God dwelt with Israel in the wilderness in a tent and later David aspired to build a magnificent temple to house all that Moses had been instructed to build.

Does anyone here not know what the tabernacle looked like?  Show picture.

Well it was a beautiful tabernacle, whether it was the one in the Sinai wilderness or the one built upon Mount Moriah where Abraham offered up his son Isaac.

But now we go to the fulfillment of what this all means.

Jesus was and is Emmanuel.  We know that because of the instruction given by the messenger Gabriel at His birth.  However, He is no longer bodily with us is He?  And yet He is. How?

John 14:15-18 says, If ye love Me, keep My Commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Remember Luke 11:13? “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

I asked you then, “Did John 3:14-16 say anything about the Holy Spirit when Jesus said, ““And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 1:4, 5  says, “In Him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The Life of Jesus Christ is the Light, the Glory of God manifest in human flesh, He is the Holy Apostle sent from His Father to reveal his character and teach us His will.  Verses 9-14 declare…

“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew Him not.  He came unto his own, and his own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus therefore is part of the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.  Why part and not the whole?  Let’s continue.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

You see beloved, this is New Covenant theology that God does not dwell any longer in a tent or stone temple upon earth.  Jesus Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;”  Hebrews 9:11

He ministers before the Father in the true Tabernacle in Heaven.  Hebrews 8:1, 2, “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” 

This is the Sanctuary in heaven where our Advocate stands on behalf of all His saints yet upon this earth, Who is His unerring representative?  Who is the One who is the convincer of sins, righteousness, and judgment to come?  Who is it that we grieve by sin and unbelief?

Who is He that dwells with us and in us?

John 14:10-17, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.  If ye love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

The Holy Spirit is given only to Commandment keepers according to this and other Scriptures.  If you want Jesus to ask Father to breathe His Spirit upon you then you must repent and be converted, allowing God to wash away your sins.  When He washes away your sins, He does so that you might bring forth fruit unto God in holy living.

Very clearly, those who have been redeemed from the corruptions in this world that are brought upon by lust, they alone are recipients of the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is the continuation of Emmanuel, God with us.  You see brethren, He was called back in Ephesians 1:7-14, the earnest of our inheritance, the down payment of that eternal and everlasting life.

Now since we have been shown from Scripture that Jesus Christ dwelled among us as God manifest in the flesh, is Emmanuel, and since we have been shown that the Holy Ghost is God manifesting Himself as Emmanuel by dwelling in our flesh, then what can be the ultimate revelation of Emmanuel and the feast of Tabernacles?

Revelation 21:1-3, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

You see brethren, God the father will then dwell with the redeemed and the complete fulfillment by all Three Holy Dignitaries of the Godhead will be finished.

The work of Jesus Christ has been for the past 6ooo years to take us home to be with His Father face to face, and He will do it.

Some final points we must conclude from this study are as follows:

1.     Heaven and earth haven't yet been brought together in one in Christ.

2.     And that is because the angelic host that will accompany Jesus at Hs appearing and those redeemed by His blood have not been bodily resurrected to meet their Lord in the air.

St. Paul gave these words of comfort, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord (this is what Jesus Christ taught), that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (phthano-to be beforehand, i.e. anticipate or precede; by extension, to have arrived at: --(already) attain, come, prevent) them which are asleep.  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 together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Notice: Who is in the air to recieve His saints? Our Lord Jesus Christ, and look who is with Him when He comes for us. 

 2 Thessalonians 1:7.  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Heaven and earth are brought together in Him at this time!   Yes we have eternal life, not in immortality now, but something even better.  We have God’s Spirit with and in us.  The blessing of eternal Life is neither in the bliss of enduring life or in missing the fies of hell but in living in perfect union with God.

Obviously St. Paul thought enough about those who were in the church, and yet living in open sin and rebellion to write these words, “1 Corinthinas 6:9-11  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Acts 5:28-32 proves that loving obedience and a willing hearts is the prerequisite of receiving the Holy Spirit, for His ministry is to convicts us that we are sinners (transgressors of God's Law 1 John 3:4) If we say we are not sinners when God’s Word says what sin is, we are calling God a liar. 

Do you see who the Spirit of Truth is and that He is the Spirit of God with us now?  He is the earnest or down payment on that eternal life.  While Jesus was in the world, He was Immanuel (God with us). We are to know Him!  Why?  What does it mean to know God? 

John 17: 3.  And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Do you see what eternal life truly is? Knowing God, and what are the characteristics of those who know God?

1 John 2:3-6, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep His Commandments.  He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (Remember that Jesus is the Truth and the Spirit of Truth is not in a Commandment breaker!)  But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.  He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Walk as Jesus walked.  You know today that more men walk as their weak ministers and priests, but they do not walk as Jesus walked because their ministers don’t tell them that Jesus is their True Pattern.  They in effect say, do the best you can and God will accept you.  Sounds good to the flesh, but it is not Scripture.

Phillipians 3:8-11, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:  That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

Knowing God clearly is being Holy Spirit filled and directed by the obedience of Jesus Christ working in you both to will and to do of His Father’s good pleasure.  Not being any longer a slave in Egypt, a carnal minded ignorant sinner in the prison house of sin, but a lover of God, keeping His Commandments.

Ask, Seek, and Knock. 

1.     Ask God to show you where you fall short of His glory, which is His character.

2.     Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness that you may not be found naked in the day of judgment.

3.     Knock on the door and Jesus will open to you the windows of Heaven and pour out of His Spirit all things necessary that we might truly pass from death to life.

Are there any final questions or comments that you would like to make?

This message has been full of spiritual language and although some of you cannot hear these words due to being new to the Scriptures or young in the faith of Jesus Christ, it is my prayer that if any of you desire to go beyond the superficial reading of the Bible that you will tell me when and where.  I will meet you anyplace, anytime in the home, restaurant, coffee house, the park or the beach.  You name it and I will be there to share as well as learn beside you.  I have not yet attained to all that I might be in Jesus Christ, yet I press forward to the mark.  The Lord our God bless each one of you and guide your understanding into His Word is my prayer for you all in Jesus name.  Amen…

The Witch of Endor and Familiar Spirits

When discussing the state of the dead, that the dead are really dead and not in heaven, hell, or purgatory, the case of the Witch of Endor may be presented as proof that people don't really die, that they continue in some conscious state even after death. So let's examine what happened regarding King Saul and the Witch of Endor.

King Saul was given very explicit instructions by God through the prophet Samuel::

1 Sam 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
1 Sam 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1 Sam 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

So, just what did King Saul do? Did he follow God's instructions?

1 Sam 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
1 Sam 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
1 Sam 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1 Sam 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1 Sam 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

King Saul disobeyed God. He spared the King of the Amalekites and the finest of the animals in direct opposition to the command of God. Now when Samuel confronted Saul, note what Saul said:

1 Sam 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

Saul had the temerity to tell Samuel that he had done exactly as commanded by God! But Samuel knew better than that, after all, he had give Saul the instructions from God in the first place. So Samuel asks:

1 Sam 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

1 Sam 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

Saul, his disobedience now exposed, actually tries to blame the people for his actions:

1 Sam 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1 Sam 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

Note how Samuel characterizes Saul's disobedience:

1 Sam 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1 Sam 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Saul's transgression was of so great a magnitude that God was removing him as King of Israel, even though Saul then admitted his sin:

1 Sam 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1 Sam 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1 Sam 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
1 Sam 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1 Sam 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

After slaying Agag, Samuel departed from Saul, and never returned, even to the day Samuel died:

1 Sam 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

In fact, the spirit of God departed from Saul completely. God no longer spoke to Saul:

1 Sam 16:14 But the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Then later, the elderly Samuel died:

1 Sam 25:1 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah.

So, now when faced by an enemy, Saul was no longer hearing from God or his prophets:

1 Sam 28:4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
1 Sam 28:5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
1 Sam 28:6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

So who does Saul seek council from? Who does he seek to tell him what he must do?

Seeking After A Familiar Spirit

1 Sam 28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

God strongly condemned in scripture what Saul was going to do:

Lev 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Deu 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
Deu 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

So, knowing that God condemned it, Saul still went to consult with a witch, a spirit medium and a necromancer (one who claims to consult with the dead).

1 Sam 28:8 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.
1 Sam 28:9 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 Sam 28:10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
1 Sam 28:11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

Now, consider an important point. Was the witch to summon the spirit of Samuel down from heaven? No. Saul knew the state of the dead, that Samuel was dead in the grave. He was actually asking the witch to call Samuel up from the grave, not down from heaven.

Note also that God was no longer speaking to Saul, and God's prophets were not speaking with Saul (1 Sam 28:6). So now, are we to believe that a witch was going to thwart the will of God by conjuring up Samuel from the grave, so that Saul could speak with a prophet of God, against the explicit will of God? No witch could do such a thing.

Remember also, the witch at Endor was known for having a familiar spirit. What is a familiar spirit anyway? It is not an angel of God, surely, because of God's strong condemnation against consulting with them. A familiar spirit is a demonic spirit, a fallen angel in league with Satan. This is what the woman at Endor had, communication with a demon, a demon who was quite capable of impersonating Samuel. It was NOT Samuel who appeared at her summons, it was a demon masquerading as Samuel. The first thing that the demon did was expose Saul's masquerade to the witch:

1 Sam 28:12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

Now exposed to the witch, Saul continues to consult her:

1 Sam 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
1 Sam 28:14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

Note that Saul did not actually see anything himself, he had to ask the witch who is was that she saw. So based on what the witch said, Saul presumed it was Samuel who he was communicating with, that Samuel had been summoned from the grave to speak with him, since the witch said she could see Samuel coming up from out of the earth (not down from heaven). King Saul was putting his trust completely in a spirit medium, a witch, a necromancer, against the expressed will of God. So the following conversation was not between Saul and Samuel, but between Saul and a witch with a familiar (demonic) spirit:

1 Sam 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

Again, note that Samuel is represented as coming up from the grave, not down from heaven. Saul also affirms that he knows that God refuses to communicate with him any more by any means, yet he expected to get guidance from a dead prophet of God via a familiar (demonic) spirit. The counsel Saul gets predicts the defeat of Israel and his imminent death, along with his sons:

1 Sam 28:16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
1 Sam 28:17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
1 Sam 28:18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
1 Sam 28:19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
1 Sam 28:20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

Conclusion

King Saul was looking for help from the witch of Endor, to contact someone in the grave, a dead Samuel, so that he could know from God how he could gain a victory over the Philistines. But God was not talking to Saul any more. By knowing what the Bible teaches about the state of the dead, and the circumstances regarding Saul's relationship with God at the time, we can be quite certain that it was not actually Samuel raised from the dead speaking to him, but a fallen angel, a demonic spirit. That Saul even attempted this séance with a spirit medium (witch) was an abomination, a further rebellion against God, and Saul paid for his rebellion with his life.

1 Chr 10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;
1 Chr 10:14 And inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

As the passage above clearly states, Saul communicated with a demonic spirit, not Samuel.

Explaining How God is Not the God of the Dead, but of the Living

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we have an account of a discussion Jesus had with a group of Sadducees, who scripture explains, did not believe in a resurrection of the dead (Matt 22:23, Mark 12:18, Luke 20:27).

They pose a question to Jesus about a widow who marries 7 brothers in sequence as each dies. The Sadducees presume that they have posed an impossible question to Jesus, because they assume that after any alleged resurrection, the woman would be guilty of bigamy by having seven husbands. Jesus answers as follows (emphasis is mine):

Mat 22:28 (KJV) Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
Mat 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Mark 12:23 (KJV) In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Luke 20:34 (KJV) And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
Luke 20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Luke 20:37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Luke 20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Note that the topic at hand deals with the Sadducees denial of a resurrection (the power of God to raise the dead) and their lack of knowledge of scripture on the matter.

In each of the above passages, to prove the resurrection, God is quoted when he spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:6) and said "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" and then the comment is made that "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Some Catholics will point to the phrase "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" as proof that people never really die, but rather their "soul" continues to live on after death.

However it is clear from the above passages that the issue in question is God's power to raise the dead from the grave in a resurrection, something the Sadducees clearly rejected.

The question posed does not address who's wife the woman would be after she is dead, while still in the grave, but rather after her resurrection, because the Sadducees assumed death to be final and irreversible.

Catholics who cite these passages to support Catholic teaching on the state of the dead (purgatory etc.) are doing so out of context, and this is apparent to most any reader who will merely take the time to study the matter.

1 Cor 15:52 (KJV) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Cor 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Cor 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The dead are in the grave, corrupt, decayed, dust, awaiting their resurrection at the last trumpet. At their resurrection they will put on incorruption, immortality, but until then they rest in the grave.

 Paul’s Earnest Expectation

     A related text that Paul penned to the Philippians has been twisted and misinterpreted much like 2 Corinthians 5. Here again Paul speaks of his “earnest expectation.” Philippians 1:20-24:

     “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
     For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
     But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour; yet what I shall choose I wot not.

     For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
     Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”

     First, let’s clarify what Paul’s “earnest expectation” really was in regard to being with Christ. Did he expect to be with Him at death? Not one text of the Bible teaches such a thing. Let the apostle answer for himself concerning his “earnest expectation.” “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19. What was that manifestation when the sons of God would be revealed? Verse 23 answers, “… we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Paul’s earnest expectation and hope was for the time when his body would be redeemed.
     He did not say one word in Philippians 1:20-24 about the TIME he would be with the Lord. Some have attempted to interpret this text as though Paul said he wanted to depart and be with Christ immediately, but the word immediately is not in the scripture. In these verses, Paul does not specifically state WHEN he will be with the Lord.
     He only states his “earnest expectation” to be there. We have found from other scriptures that his expectation centered on the resurrection or translation of the body. Other passages further clarify without any equivocation when the great apostle expected to be with Christ.

   In yet another section of the same treatise, dealing with the "invocation of saints," Tyndale uses the same reasoning, pointing out that the doctrine of departed saints being in heaven had not yet been introduced in Christ's day:

[pg. 575]

   And when he [More] proveth that the saints be in heaven in glory with Christ already, saying, "If God be their God, they be in heaven, for he is not the God of the dead;" there he stealeth away Christ's argument, wherewith he proveth the resurrection: that Abraham and all saints should rise again, and not that their souls were in heaven; which doctrine was not yet in the world. And with that doctrine he taketh away the resurrection quite, and maketh Christ's argument of none effect.—Ibid., p. 118.

Tyndale presses his contention still further by showing the conflict of papal teaching with St. Paul, as he says in slightly sarcastic vein:

   "Nay, Paul, thou art unlearned; go to Master More, and learn a new way. We be not most miserable, though we rise not again; for our souls go to heaven as soon as we be dead, and are there in as great joy as Christ that is risen again." And I marvel that Paul had not comforted the Thessalonians with that doctrine, if he had wist [known] it, that the souls of their dead had been in joy; as he did with the resurrection, that their dead should rise again. If the souls be in heaven, in as great glory as the angels, after your doctrine, shew me what cause should be of the resurrection)—Ibid.

JOHN FRITH (1503-33), associate of Tyndale and fellow martyr
   A Disputacyon of Purgatorie ... divided into three Bokes, c. 1530
   An Answer to John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester

   Notwithstanding, let me grant it him that some are already in hell and some in heaven, which thing he shall never be able to prove by the Scriptures, yea, and which plainly destroy the resurrection, and taketh away the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul do prove that we shall rise;... and as touching this point where they rest, I dare be bold to say that they are in the hand of God.—An Answer to John Fisher.

Source: Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, copyright 1957 by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, pages 569-575.