2nd Peter 1: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
In some of the passages we read last week there are words and phrases that may not properly define the truths that God would have us understand, and the reason for this is that the Bible was written by finite men who were inspired by God. But God Himself did not write anything in the Bible.
He used fallen humanity to speak to fallen humanity and therefore, we should exercise great care when studying the sacred word so that we wouldn’t bend or distort the central truth that God has made plain. As the inspiration of The Holy Spirit rested upon the Bible writers, they would speak in their language as best they knew how.
Cultural perspectives, and their own backgrounds in temporal lines of work would often color their views and words, and in some instances, cause them to be focused more on specific aspects of the inspiration than other aspects, as The Holy Ghost presented it to their minds.
Yet, all in all, even though fallen humanity is used as the channel, it is the word of God nonetheless. God as an author or writer is never featured in the Bible, and as such, we should not make the nuances that occur with writing styles and preferences of certain words by the writers, blur the lines of truth.
For example, if God was to inspire different writers, from different backgrounds, to describe the above scene, you will have varying renditions of the same inspiration. From the perspective of the realtor, you would probably have mentions of the houses in the background, in addition to the central theme.
From the perspective of a doctor, you would have a more detailed focus on the blood on the ground, in addition to possible injuries. But if a mechanic were to depict what he saw via inspiration, he probably will focus on the type of car, and he may give more fine details that the other inspired writers may have left out, such as a Honda Passport.
Thus, even though the three writers in question are inspired by the same source, the way in which they write, and depict what they saw, would most likely be affected by their varying backgrounds but it does not change the central them of the inspiration.
The same is true with the word of God. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved, and inspired by The Holy Ghost, and they wrote in their style and words, focusing on different parts of the inspiration.
That is why it took four gospels, to properly depict the life of Christ, as the various writers focused on the differing highlights of Christ’s ministry and life. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all came from widely different backgrounds, and very often, they focused on different highlights of the inspirations given to them by God. Let’s read:
Matthew 20: 29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
But the same narrative will be inspired by God to a doctor by the name of Luke and thus, because of his training, where he pays great attention to detail, he will put much more meat on the bones as it were, to give us the same account from his perspective, even though at the end of the day, it does not change the basic fact that the blind was healed. Let’s read:
Luke 18:35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging.
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passes by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
[1SM pp 21] The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God’s mode of thought and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. But God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The writers of the Bible were God’s penmen, not His pen.
It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions, but on the man himself, who under the influence of the Holy Ghost is imbued with thoughts.
But the words and thoughts receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus, the utterances of the man are the Word of God.
Therefore, as we study the topic: Confessions of a Duppy, we will see words and phrases that may not be perfect in their representations, nevertheless the central truths are given to guide the minds of those who will study the word of God with a humble and teachable spirit. We will highlight the central truths as we go. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 28: 3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6 And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
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.
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?
10 And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord lives there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11 Then said the woman, whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what did you see? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
Genesis 3: 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
1st Samuel 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.
15 And Samuel said to Saul Why hast you 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 answers 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.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spoke by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David.
18 Because thou obeyed not the voice of the Lord, nor executed his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.
19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
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.
[1] The very first confession of a duppy is that they cannot come back either from heaven or from the grave, and therefore, any semblance of a departed loved one is absolutely the work of evil spirits, no doubt.
The belief that disembodied souls can have any sort of communication with the living is pagan in nature, and is just a tentacle of that first great lie which was spoken to Eve.
The worship of saints who have died, the belief that dead persons can haunt houses, the belief in, and the practice of seances are all coming from one and the same source, for all these roads lead right back to demonic spirits.
Therefore, if you have lost a loved one recently, and for any reason some person shows up at your door, or in your dreams, trying to make it seem as if they are alive and well;
Or worse yet, if they try to give us advice concerning any future event, know for certain that it is the devil because the Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that dead men don’t tell tales neither do they come back to visit or haunt anyone because of the simple fact that they cannot, since they are very dead. Let’s read:
Job 7: 9 As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away: so, he that goes down to the grave shall come up no more.
10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.
It is important that we understand the context, for Job is not saying that he will not come up in the first resurrection, he is addressing that singular issue of whether or not a dead person can revisit the living. They absolutely cannot.
However, that does not negate the fact of that great resurrection that will take place when Jesus comes the second time. At that time, all of the righteous dead will be brought back to life, and just before His coming there will also be a special resurrection, but both of these instances will only occur after human probation has been closed.
Thus, the living righteous who would have already been sealed for eternity, will not be deceived by the appearance of any duppy no matter how perfect the manifestation, for the lives of the living righteous will be hid with Christ in God permanently.
In addition to this, Job goes on to specify when the resurrection will take place, so as to leave no wiggle room for any duppy to come and say otherwise. Let’s read:
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
There are several instances in the Bible where the dead were brought back to life by the power of God, but every one of these instances are fully accounted for, and in every case, without exception, it’s always attributed to the power of God.
The reason why The Lord found it necessary to bring some persons back to life was so that the living may have hope, and not be driven to despair by death. In many instances, when a funeral takes place, persons are driven to despair and weep unconsolably.
And thus, the specific instances where God saw it fit to bring some individuals back to life was so that we would have hope of eternal life, and not weep as do others. We will now address some of these specific instances for clarity, so as not to leave any loopholes for satan to distort the truth. Let’s read:
Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias/Elijah talking with him.
Moses had been resurrected many moons ago and Elijah had been translated many centuries before, and thus, they were sent by God from heaven to not only comfort Jesus in His hour of trial, but also to give assurance to the living, that God has the power to resurrect the dead, as well as translate the living righteous without seeing death.
Thus, Elijah, who never tasted death represents the saints who will be translated without seeing death, when Jesus comes the second time, for if we are faithful there are some who will never pass through the portals of the tomb.
Moses, on the other hand had passed under the dominion of death, because of his sin in striking the rock, but he was raised to life not long after. Thus, by sending Moses to visit Christ God gave assurance to all who die in Jesus, that one day soon, they also will be raised to life, when Jesus come the 2nd time. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
11 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.
Jude 8: 9 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.
Question: What was the specific dispute about? Answer: The dispute was that Jesus had come to resurrect Moses, even though satan had succeeded in getting him to strike the rock, when Moses should have spoken to the Rock.
Thus, the devil was angry, because Christ was going to rob the grave for the very first time, even though He had not yet paid the price for our redemption on Calvary. In other words, satan was arguing that it was not fair, what Jesus was doing. Let’s read:
[4S.G pp 57] Satan exulted that he had succeeded in causing Moses to sin against God. For this transgression, Moses came under the dominion of death.
If he had continued faithful, and his life had not been marred with that one transgression, in failing to give to God the glory of bringing water from the rock, he would have entered the promised land, and he would have been translated to Heaven without seeing death.
Michael or Christ, with the angels that buried Moses came down from Heaven, after he had remained in the grave a short time, and resurrected him, and took him to Heaven.
As Christ and the angels approached the grave, Satan and his angels appeared at the grave, and were guarding the body of Moses, lest it should be removed.
As Christ and his angels drew nigh, Satan resisted their approach, but was compelled, by the glory and power of Christ and his angels to fall back. Satan claimed the body of Moses, because of his one transgression; but Christ meekly referred him to his Father, saying, “The Lord rebuke thee.”
Another instance when God saw fit to give persons assurance about the resurrection is when Jesus had come from the tomb on the first day of the week. At that time God raised many dead people and He also sent them into the city, so that the disciples’ faith and ours would have facts to stand on.
It was necessary for God to do this at this specific time because the hope of many disciples had grown quite dim, with the crucifixion, and death of Jesus. Thus again, in this instance, God certified the sacred truth that He is The life Giver, and as such, all those who believe in Him will have eternal life.
When Jesus raised Lazarus, and the two damsels who had died, they were still subject to death, and later on all three of them died. But God took the issue of resurrection up a notch for those who were raised when Christ came from the grave were raised to immortality, and thus the sacred truth of eternal life to believers was forever certified. Let’s read:
Matthew 27: 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
[Christ Triumphant pp 286] During His ministry Jesus raised the dead to life. He raised the son of the widow of Nain and Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus. But these were not clothed with immortality. After they were raised, they continued to be subject to death and decay.
But those who came forth from the grave at Christ’s resurrection were raised to everlasting life. They were the multitude of captives who ascended with Him as trophies of His victory over death and the grave.
These went into the city, and appeared unto many, declaring, “Christ has risen from the dead, and we be risen with him.” Some were terrified at the sight.
They bore the most undeniable evidence not only of their own resurrection, but of the resurrection of the crucified Redeemer. This testimony could not be quenched. The sacred facts of Christ’s resurrection were immortalized.
Those who had been raised were presented as trophies to the heavenly universe—samples of the resurrection of all who receive and believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. They were a symbol of the final resurrection of the righteous.
Another instance of God’s power to resurrect dead persons was given when Jesus raised Lazarus to life, after he had been dead for a few days. This instance is important for us to understand, because it lends itself to the passage in Job, where the Bible says, he that goes down to the grave will not come back for a revisit.
When Jesus had raised the damsel to life the scribes and pharisees had seized on His words and distorted them to try to show that it was not a real miracle for Jesus Himself had declared that she was not dead, but was sleeping.
Thus, it was necessary to correct those errors of the Jews, by Christ raising a decomposing body back to life, so that our faith in His power to resurrect would transcend decomposition. This is the reason why He waited for four days before going to raise Lazurus so that Lazurus would be confirmed as very dead. Let’s read:
John 11:17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
23 Jesus saith unto her, thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinks: for he hath been dead four days.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. {Not come down}
This leads us to the second confession of a duppy:
[2] Persons cannot and do not go to heaven at death and any such teaching, such as purgatory, is entirely false. When persons die and are buried, they remain in their graves until God calls them by His voice.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knows the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to the earth?
The Hebrew word Ruach/“spirit” is translated as breath, not some disembodied intelligent entity that floats upward to heaven. Absolutely not. This is certified by the Bible in the statement concerning David, for the word of God states that David is not ascended. Let’s read:
Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
[3] The third confession of a duppy is that they are really the spirits of devils, for dead persons have no knowledge, feelings, hatred and they do not partake of anything that is done in our world.
Consulting with wizards about future events, the veneration of dead saints, and seances are just a few of the dark arts stemming from that first big lie that was told in Eden, that you will not surely die.
God is saying to us, you surely will, if Jesus doesn’t come real soon, and because of this fact, we should avail ourselves of the means God has provided that we may have eternal life.
When persons go to see movies that portray dead people as having immortality, they’re actually being taught by satan directly, and are being indoctrinated into the belief system that is to play a major role in the final conflict of the ages, when departed friends and relatives will purportedly be visiting millions.
Thus, when persons return home after seeing such movies, their minds have been primed and groomed for greater manifestations, and when the miracles of duppies come their way they’re already receptive for they have learned and believed in the schools of devils.
Every pagan religion has as its foundation, worship of the dead, and belief in the natural immortality of the soul. The pyramids of Egypt were constructed to facilitate this belief.
Thus, the Bible gives warning to anyone who will listen, not to play games nor invite any duppy to your house. It will be the equivalent of asking for very serious trouble. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 9: 5 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.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they anymore a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
Deuteronomy 18: 10 There shall not be found among you anyone that makes his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
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.
The reason why these warnings from God cannot be emphasized enough, is because the people of God will have to confront these issues, and therefore, a thorough knowledge of the truth on these matters is a must. Let’s read:
[LTMS 18 LT 140, par 11] Thus men came to Christ. And mingling with His hearers, were angels in the form of men, making their suggestions, criticizing, misapplying and misinterpreting the Savior’s words.
In this time, evil angels in the form of men will talk with those who know the truth. They will misinterpret and they will misconstrue the statements of the messengers of God.
In closing, let us recap the three confessions of a duppy that we studied early, so as to bring the truth home in a clear simple format that can guide us and help us to identify the manifestations, when they do occur.
[1] The dead remain in their graves and can’t come back to haunt houses, or speak to any living person. Thus, any such manifestation could be immediately identified as being the work of demonic spirits.
[2] The dead to not go to heaven, either through purgatory of any other means. All movies which do portray persons as levitating to heaven at death are the works of satanic agencies.
[3] The dead do not know anything, they have no knowledge of future events, they have no feelings, they cannot speak, and if any duppy were to give advice, it would be bad advice.
No need to walk backwards into your house after some relative has died, no need to place shoes in a certain position after the passing of a loved one, no need to rearrange your furniture, or turn over any mattresses.
There is also no need to wear your clothes back to front, no need to pour white rum on the grave site, no need to cover any mirrors in your room, and no, duppies don’t walk in a straight line.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture which will help us to fend off any such intrusions, and it is the will of God that His remnant people stay as far as possible from any semblance of communication with the dead.
Isaiah 8:20: 19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
God Bless!