The Spirit of Elijah and Forbidden Ideas

There are some ideas that seem to be forbidden in Christian apologetics.

One forbidden concept is that a dead person’s spirit cannot show up again on Earth. Thus, it is said about the story of Saul appearing to the witch of Endor that what showed up at the witch’s summons was a demon.

However, it was not a demon, it was the spirit of Samuel. The witch was an experienced witch, people recognized her as such, and that is why she was recommended to King Saul. The witch, upon summoning the spirit of Samuel and believing that her familiar spirit would show up masquerading as a human spirit, as was the routine, was terrified because what showed up was the real spirit of Samuel.

Another forbidden idea is that a human spirit cannot indwell another human. In the Bible, there is one recorded case of this happening, as we shall see.

Although they rarely happen, God does allow these unusual spiritual things to happen. He has, is, and will continue to allow and perform things that men cannot understand, imagine or accept.

A different kind of “death”

The Bible mentions only two men who were taken up to Heaven with their bodies: Enoch and Elijah. They did not die a mortal man’s death, but were taken away with their mortal bodies. In the case of Jesus, it was different: Jesus’ body died on the cross, was resurrected in a body that had been transformed and later was taken up to “the clouds” in this transformed body.

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Genesis 5:21-24)

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2:9-12)

Moses

Moses died a natural death. He was not taken up, but God Himself buried him.
And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan… (Deuteronomy 34:1)

And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. (Deuteronomy 34:4-6)

However, for a specific reason known only to God, his body was required in Heaven:

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (Jude 1:9)

The devil also had a specific reason to fight against Moses’ body being taken to Heaven.

I am sure that there are many reasons that God wants certain people to go up to Heaven with their mortal bodies, but in searching the Bible the only reason I find is in the transfiguration story.

The Transfiguration

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. (Matthew 17:1-3)

Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus. The spirits of two dead men appeared to a group of men. This is one of the “forbidden ideas” of Christianity, but God allowed it.

Elijah had been taken up with his mortal body, and Moses was not. He was buried, but later an Archangel came to take his body up. Was his body needed in Heaven so that he could appear along with Elijah to Jesus?

Notice that Jesus’ body also was transformed, even if momentarily.

Other Special “Bodies” in the Bible: Abraham and his Visitors

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground. (Genesis 18:1-2)

The Bible tells us that the Lord (and the two angels) appeared to Abraham, but when Abraham looked, all he saw were three men.

And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetch a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. (Genesis 18:6-8)

If the Lord appeared to me, the last thing in my mind would be to get in the kitchen and start cooking! So Abraham was still thinking they were men, and extended the customary hospitality to them, inviting them to rest and have a meal. The “men” accepted, and they ate.

And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do. (Genesis 18:16-17)

And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. (Genesis 18:22)

Abraham at some point figured out that one of the men was the Lord, and he stayed with Him, but the two men went on their way to Sodom. The two men were angels:

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; (Genesis 19:1)

Lot also saw them as men, and prepared a meal for them:

And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. (Genesis 19:2-3)

So they ate again, and not only did they have the ability to eat, but they also had the power to destroy a city:

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. (Genesis 19:12-13)

God is a Spirit, angels are spirits; however, it appears they can inhabit human bodies that function as a normal human body. They can also appear and disappear. We cannot distinguish them from other human beings (this is how we could entertain angels unaware, Heb. 13:12.) Whether these three human bodies were put together specifically for this event or this was done some other way, we don’t know.

Jesus in His Transformed Body

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

The doors were shut and maybe even locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus in his transformed body came and stood in the middle of them, either walking through the closed door or through the wall or just appearing. This transformed body had the wounds that his previous body had, although we know his previous body was much more battered than just the wounds in his hands and side.

The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. (John 20:25-27)

As before, the door was shut and he appeared in the midst of them.

After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. (John 21:1-6)

As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. (John 21:9-15)

It is implied that Jesus ate breakfast with them, in his new body that could appear and disappear.

The Advent of Jesus Announced by the Prophets

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:1-5)

The advent of Jesus was announced by the prophets, saying that God would send a messenger to prepare the way before his advent, as a voice that cries in the wilderness saying to prepare the way of the Lord. The time came for both the messenger and the Messiah to be conceived, and the enemy did not like it a bit.

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (Matthew 11:7-10)

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mark 1:2-8)

John the Baptist was to prepare the way of the Lord. He had to come into this world before the Lord. Even before he was conceived, violence started in the Kingdom, for the enemy was opposed to his conception.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:12-15)

The Complete Jewish Bible says it this way: “…the Kingdom of Heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent ones are trying to snatch it away.”

Elizabeth, the mother of John, was an older woman and had been barren. Being of a priestly linage and not being able to have children, she felt cursed. A spiritual force would not let her conceive. Whether it was God’s design, keeping her womb virgin for the time of the advent of John, or it was the enemy’s design, we don’t know. But Jesus did say, “From the days of John the Baptist the Kingdom suffers violence.”

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. (Luke 1:5-7)

The enemy was fighting the plan of God for redemption, trying to stop the conception of John. As Sarah’s womb was closed until the time that Isaac would come into the world, so Elizabeth’s womb was closed until the time John would come into the world.

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:11-17)

And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. (Luke 1:23-25)

The Lord’s Conception

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:26-31)

The angel continues:

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:36-37)

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (Luke 1:39-44)

Elizabeth’s baby, John, leaped for joy when Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb, drew near. It was the spirit of Elijah already in John who recognized the Lord.

And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. (Luke 1:56)

Mary returned to her house, three months into the pregnancy and starting to show. She was a virgin and conceived supernaturally, by the Holy Spirit. The custom in those days was to stone women who conceived out of marriage. Here was the opportunity the enemy had for violence. The enemy worked in Joseph’s mind and emotions to have Mary stoned. He did not want to do it, but it was the law, and he had to think about the reaction of the people. He did not want to bring the law upon her in public, but in private. God intervened.

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 public 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. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Later the violence shows up again when Herod hears about the child, and he wanted to have him killed. God intervenes again.

And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Matthew 2:12-16

John Starts His Ministry

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. (Mark 1:2-4, 7, 8)

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not. He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (John 1:26-36)

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (Matthew 3:13-14)

John knew there was someone coming who was mightier. God also spoke to John revealing who that person was. John knew not only that the person was the Son of God, but also that He was the Lamb of God. This term had significance for the Jews, and John did not hesitate to identify Jesus as such. The spirit of Elijah was in John since his conception, and while still in the womb, John recognized the Messiah who was also in the womb. Later, God confirmed to Jesus who He was, but John already knew Him, because of the spirit of Elijah. Jesus said:

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:12-15)

After John the Baptist was beheaded:

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:9-13)

The Spirit of Elijah Departs from John

The apostle Norman Parish pointed this out in one of his lectures: when John the Baptist was put in prison by Herod, he was soon beheaded by order of Herod. Since the end of his life was imminent, the spirit of Elijah left him. Only at that time did John have doubts about Jesus being the Lamb of God:
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? (Matthew 11:2-3)

When John’s disciples departed, Jesus spoke to the multitude about John:

For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11: 10-15)

The spirit of Elijah dwelled in John from his conception until shortly before his death. It was later that Elijah appeared, along with Moses, at the mount. (Matthew 17:1-3)

Interesting Stories from Guatemala

Apostle/Pastor Norman Parish of Guatemala, speaking at a deliverance minister’s conference, shared with us two stories. Because of the nature of these stories, he said he would not share them any place other than a deliverance minister’s conference.

The first story was about a young man who was a member of his church. He was a farmer, uneducated, and his Spanish vocabulary was very limited. He was very devout and worshiped the Lord.

One day this farmer brought a word for the congregation. When he delivered the word, his countenance and his speech changed, and he used words that were not familiar to him. It was a very solemn moment and every one was astounded when they heard him. Norman Parish explained that an angel had entered the young man to give this word.

Norman Parish reasoned that if demons, who are spirits, can enter human bodies, then angels can enter human bodies when directed by the Lord.

In the second story Pastor Parish and two elders ministered deliverance to a very sick man and commanded the demon to manifest. Something manifested and they tested the spirit. They asked the spirit three questions, and the spirit answered according to the scriptures.

One question was, “How did Jesus come?” The spirit answered “in the flesh”. A demon will not give that answer, Norman said, and if it does, it will say a counterfeit phrase like, “in the blesh” instead. The spirit then said that he was the Angel of Death and that he had been sent by the Lord to prepare the man for leaving his body, because his hour had come.

A Personal Testimony

I was about four years in the Lord and was entering the deliverance ministry. The Lord impressed on me to join a Spanish-speaking church that I did not want to attend.

I spoke to the pastor and his wife about deliverance, and the pastor said that if I wanted to teach deliverance in his church, I had to join the church. I joined the church and was there about two years, but he did not give me opportunity to teach deliverance. Instead I taught the adult Bible class.

There was something fishy going on in that church, and I wanted to leave on several occasions, but the Lord would not let me leave.

Once, during an evening service, a member of that church, a humble man, came to the front with his guitar to sing. He sang to the Lord truly worshiping Him, and I got caught up in the anointing. I had my hands up and my eyes closed, worshiping along with the man.

The ceiling was low, and there was a light fixture above me. My head was back, and I could see the light shining on my eyelids. After a while, the light seemed to become larger and more intense and came into my body through my eyelids. Immediately I felt a pressure in my stomach area, reaching up to my throat. I felt a tremendous urge to open my mouth and scream, but I held myself back because I did not want to disturb the singer. It was very hard to control.

Finally, when he finished, I let it go. I was amazed as I was giving a message in tongues in a very, very loud voice. I had always wished I could give a message in tongues but I never could. This is the only one I have ever had.

I could hear myself, of course, and I realized that the message was not a “feel good” message. In fact, I had the feeling it was a rebuke. The tone of the speech was just that way, which anyone can perceive in any language. When I finished, I opened my eyes which were looking in the direction of the pastor, and he was looking back at me with a terrified look on his face. After he regained his cool, he gave a very short interpretation which had nothing to do with the tone of the message.

I have wondered many times about this event. I have known many Christians whom God used for messages in tongues, but they never commented to me about a light shining in their eyes or an inside pressure to give the message that was hard to control.

Now I believe it was an angel who entered me to give this message. This is why I had such a loud voice. This is why I have not given any other messages in tongues during services. This event was a one-time event.

Final Thoughts

Knowing what the Lord has done, we must be prepared to entertain angels. Could we discern an angel? There are many testimonies of angels helping people who did not realize it was an angel who helped them until the angel disappeared, because the angel looked just like a human.

We also need to remember that an angel can enter a human body, if only momentarily, when ordered by the Lord.

In the case of John the Baptist, we have seen that a human spirit of a deceased man (Elijah) entered one man to empower him (John) for a mission, and after everything was accomplished, the human spirit that was empowering John left. This was done by order of God.

We have also seen that two deceased men’s spirits (Moses and Elijah) appeared to Jesus and the disciples who were with him. Peter, who was so frightened later, was not frightened at this appearance at all.

I knew a woman who lost her only son in a tragic accident. She did not have the strength to take it and was thinking about suicide. Her son appeared to her and told her that he was in Heaven, that he was very happy and to please stop crying for him. She told me this herself, and at the time I did not know what to believe. This lady was very intelligent and stable, and I could not dismiss her story as a hallucination. But I did not want to believe it. I believe it now. We have a compassionate God!

Let us think about this, let us train ourselves to discern, and let us expect marvelous things from the Lord.