The Witch of Endor = 1Sa 28

The Witch of Endor = 1Sa 28

This is certainly one of the most mis-understood portions in the bible.

Jesus said: "Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" Mar 12:24

Ignorance of the scriptures leads to all kinds of error and wrong thinking, and that is clearly seen in the mis-understanding people have of this event; remember, this is not a story, this is an historic event.

To be clear, the being who spoke with Saul was NOT Samuel, it was a demon.

First, there are two (2) general truths from scripture to establish that:

General Truth 1) When God’s people die, and Samuel was one of God's people, an Old Testament believer, our bodies are buried, and our souls go directly to heaven, at the time of death.

Here are some scriptures that clearly support that:

In the account of Lazarus died (Luk 16; which is not a parable), Lazarus went to heaven. Abraham’s bosom is not a holding place, like limbo or purgatory; it is heaven, the place were he was only receiving good. We went there immediately upon death. By contrast the Rich Man went immediately to hell, and was in flames, receiving only bad. And it is clearly stated, by Jesus, recounting the words of Abraham, that people cannot leave the place were they are; they cannot travel around.

When Moses and Elijah were seen with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, they came from heaven, and were resplendent with light, shown by the fact that when the cloud left, from which God who lives in heaven spoke, they were taken away, ie back to heaven.

Jesus said to the Thief on the Cross: "Today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus is in heaven; paradise is just another name for heaven. TODAY!

Paul said,  "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"  Php 1:23

"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:" Rev 6:9 This is in heaven.

Think of what Jesus said to the Saducees, about Old Testament saints who had died:

"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? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err." Mar 12:26 -27

In Heb 12, heaven is described as:  "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," Heb 12:22-23

When a believer dies, whether an Old Testament Era believer or a New Testament Era believer, we go directly to heaven at the time of death, and are there in God's presence, alive to him, alive with him, and following him in heaven, not coming out of the earth, dressed in rags, but robed in light.

General Truth 2) The devil is a liar, the father of lies, and all he ever does is lie, it is his nature: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." Joh 8:44

When a liar says anything, we can never know if it is true or a lie. If he says, "Look I am telling you the truth," how can we know that statement is not a lie?!

This being was not Samuel, it was a lying demon, an angel who followed Lucifer in the angelic rebellion, and like his leader Lucifer, this demon is also nothing but a liar.

The above 2 lines of truth alone should make it clear this is not Samuel, but a demon, presenting himself as Samuel.

Now several things to note from the passage itself:

1) Saul is an un-believer, someone who had forsaken God, and someone whom God had forsaken, so is his perception and understanding of a spiritual situation to be taken as correct? I don't think so! He knows nothing of God.

2) The woman is under the control of a demon (familiar spirits are demons that communicate with people), so is her perception of a spiritual situation to be taken as correct? I don't think so! All she knows is the world of demons.

3) Nobody asks the being if he is Samuel.

4) The being does not say he is Samuel.

5) You have Saul, forsaken of God, and the witch, an active servant of the devil, both assuming it is Samuel, simply because she asked for Samuel to appear. You have 2 followers of the devil, assuming it is Samuel! You ask me to invite the President to lunch, I dial a random number and ask the person who picks up the phone to come to lunch, 10 minutes later a man walks into my house, we all assume it is the President because you asked me to invite the President, HOW LUDICROUS IT THAT!

6) She is not shocked to see the being; she saw demon beings all the time, that was her trade!; she is shocked because at that moment she realizes it is Saul who asked her to use her demon craft, and she figures she will be put to death for practicing witch craft: "Why hast thou deceived me?"

"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." 1Sa 28:12

7) The being comes from the earth, dressed in rags; not from heaven, dressed in light.

8) Does it even make sense that a servant of the devil would have the power to summon a child of God from heaven?

All of the above points should re-enforce the statement that this is NOT Samuel, but a demon.

Another big point of confusion is that if this is a demon, how could it know the future?

Read 1Ki 22. It is the recounting of how God set up the death of King Ahab. The scene is in heaven, spirits are going back and forth proposing different ways of doing it (remember Satan, Lucifer appears in heaven and speaks with God: Job 1-2; Rev 12:10), and so one of Lucifer's followers comes forth:

"And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so." 1Ki 22:20-22

Note: I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.

I would say this event with Saul is basically the same: Saul wants to talk with Samuel, a demon presents itself to Saul, never saying he is Samuel, Saul never asks (the lost are so deceived), and Saul is thoroughly un-done.

The demon’s only really true statement was: “today you will be with me;” dead and in hell, and oh how he mocked Saul then!!

So what do we learn from this event?

1) Demons exist and do interact, ie they have conversations with people, and they give instructions to people, but with only one desire, to deceive you so you end up in hell wit them forever. If you are not a Christian, this should scare you to death.

2) There are real witches, who have real, personal inter-action with demons. Google "witches covens" in your town or area, you will be amazed how many there are.

3) Part of their deception is that they can show human kindness, and appear as very un-assuming people. The witch killed her fattened calf, and feed Saul. Humanly, she was a nice little old lady!

Look up the full lyrics to Terri Gibbs song "Somebody's Knockin"

Somebody's knockin'

Should I let him in

Lord, it's the devil

Would you look at him

I've heard about him

But I never dreamed

He'd have blue eyes and blue jeans

4) The demon knows what the real Samuel had previously said to Saul, about him losing his kingship; Saul was afraid of that, and the devil used that fear to get to Saul. The point being, the devil knows what is going on in our lives, he listens and observes, and he uses that information to tempt us to sin in the areas in which we are particular weak and vulnerable. Terri Gibbs goes on the write: "He must have tapped my telephone line, He must have known."

The devil was watching all of the 12 disciples, looking for a weak one whom he could exploit, to betray Jesus. He used Judas' love of money to finally get him to do it:

"Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." Joh 12:4-6

And so Judas sold Jesus into the hands of his enemies of 30 pieces of silver, because he love money.

He tried to ruin Peter, using his fear of men, and sifted him: "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:" Luk 22:31  And for a time Peter, racked with guilt over denying the Lord, abandoned the work, and returned to fishing Jhn 21:1-3.

The devil knows exactly what our weaknesses are, and we see this clearly from this event in Saul's life.

5) Saul assures the witch, in the name of the Lord, that she will not die, “And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.” Two (2) points here: 1) People can hold with the devil, and still speak of God, and 2) This is a very clear “taking of God’s name in vain;” a breaking of the 3rd Commandment.

6) How similar is this event to the events regarding Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism). And think of Roman Catholic teaching regarding Mary's supposed appearances at Fatima, and Guadalupe, and Lourdes. Mary is in heaven, a redeemed sinner. Those were real beings who appeared, but they were lying spirits, messengers of the devil, working within the Roman church, to deceive millions. Poor hurting people are deceived to worship a demon claiming to be Mary, and are lead away from Jesus Christ and the true and only way of salvation. They are being led to hell, just like this demon did to Saul.

Do not be confused, it was a demon that appeared to Saul, and spoke with him.

9 March 2025