Clarence Larkin - The Spirit World

[Alan]

Chapter 3

Satan

The following chart by Larkin is found on page 9.

Satan

“The God of this Age.”

“The Original Earth” Note by Alan

As I have mentioned previously in various studies, I am not in agreement with Larkin’s teaching that there was an, “Original Earth,” and a “Pre-Adamic,” race on the earth before the creation of Adam. This teaching is generally referred to as, “The Gap theory.” Otherwise, the chart is of good value.

Larkin’s Overview Continued

Larkin clearly states that Satan is a person and quotes 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Larkin also brings out, that as a person can be chained, so Satan will one day be chained: Revelation 20:1-3

Larkin brings out some of the names of Satan:

1. Devil.

2. Beelzebub.

3. Belial.

4. Adversary.

5. Dragon.

6. Serpent.

7. “The prince of the powers of the air. Ephesians 2:2

8. God of this world or age. 2 Corinthians 4:4

Larkin divides this study on Satan into five sections.

1. His Origin.

11. His Present Location.

111. His Kingdom.

1V. His Methods

V. His Doom.

Section 1: His Origin

Larkin brings out that Satan is a created being and was the guardian of the “Throne of God.” Larkin brings out the position and beauty of Satan, before his “fall,” as written in Ezekiel 28:11-19. Larkin teaches that the description in Ezekiel 28:11-19 is also a “foreview” of the Antichrist under the title of the, “King of Tyrus” and that the “Eden the garden of God,” Ezekiel 28:13, is a reference to heaven and not the earthly Eden.

Note on the Garden of Eden by Alan

Ezekiel 28:13 says, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

The garden of Eden in Genesis 2:8 to 2:24 was planted by God: it is His garden. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” Genesis 2:8. Therefore, it is my thoughts that Ezekiel 28:13 is a reference to the physical garden of Eden and not a reference to heaven.

Lucifer, Son of the Morning

Larkin continues his discourse a exposition of Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” and Isaiah 14:4, “Thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!” Larkin believes that the king of Babylon as mentioned in Isaiah 14:4 is a “foreview” of Satan as the Antichrist.

Larkin partially quotes, and interjects his own thoughts, while combining Isaiah 14:13 & 14, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the ‘Stars of God’ (other ruling powers); I will sit also upon the Mount of the Congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the clouds; I will be like THE MOST HIGH;” ⁱ Please take note that he does not quote the King James Version fully nor does he tells the reader which version he uses.

Larkin continues his discourse and states that his occurred after the creation of the “original earth,” as Satan was ruling the original earth, and his rebellion caused the “Pre-Adamic World” to become a chaos. Larkin cites Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Larkin further conjectures, “When Satan became unwilling to rule the Original earth as a subordinate, and determined to rule it independent of God, he put his own will in opposition to the Will of God.”ⁱⁱ

Also, at this point, treason entered the heart of Satan and this was the origin of the first sin. In exalting himself, Satan became the malignant Devil since that time.

Note by Alan on Isaiah 14:13 & 14

Isaiah 14:13 & 14 “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high.”

There is no reference to the events of Isaiah 14:13 & 14 taking place on the earth, before the creation of Adam, nor was the earth “inhabited” by Satan and “other ruling powers” between Genesis 1: 1 and 2.

Note by Alan Concerning Satan and Pride

In Isaiah 14:13 & 14Satan fell from his exalted position of the covering of the throne of God through the pride of his own heart. Satan heart was lifted up with pride and he became the “evil” individual that we know as the “Devil.” As a free moral agent, Satan made the deliberate decision to attempt to exalt himself to “be like the most high.” Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The Problem of Evil

Larkin states, “God did not create “Evil.” “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Matt.7:15-18.”ⁱⁱⁱ

Larkin states, “To be a “free moral agent” implies that one has the power of “choice.” When God created the angels, and all the glorious beings that He originally created, there was no sin or “Evil” in the Universe. But as free moral agents they had the power of choice, not between “Good” and Evil,”but between following the “Will of God,” or their “Own Will.”^iv

Note by Alan Concerning “Evil” and How it is Created

Here are some thoughts concerning “evil.”

God did not create evil. Evil is the result of sin. Galatians 6:7 & 8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.” The result of Satan’s sin of pride was evil.

1. Amos 3:6, “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” All of the wars and fightings are the result of sin. The nation of Israel sinned and the evils of war was the consequence.

2. Isaiah 45:6 & 7, “That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” Satan sinned and then God created the evil in his life.

3. Hell is an “evil” place. Did God originally create hell? No. Hell, the evil place, was created after Satan sinned. Hell is the consequence of sin. Hell was originally created for the Devil and his angels. When man sinned, the consequence of that sin, is to be cast down into hell.

4. The Lord Jesus made it abundantly clear that hell was created as a consequence of the sin of Satan and his angels. Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

5. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 The consequence of sin, whether it be Satan, an angel, or any man, is death in hell. Hell was created by God, and evil place, as a consequence of sin.

6. God, in the book of Genesis, and the Apostle Paul, makes it abundantly clear that even the “evil” in the realm of nature (and the universe itself), is the consequence of sin. Genesis 3:17, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” Romans 8:20-22

11. His Present Location

Larkin states that Satan’s present location is not in hell and says that 2 Peter 2:4 Jude 6, and 1 Peter 3:18-20 does not apply to Satan at this present time.

Larkin brought out that Satan appeared in the presence of God in Job chapter 1 and 2 so that it was obvious that Satan was at liberty and not imprisoned at that time. Therefore, it is obvious that Satan has the ability to travel to the present world and into heaven.

Note by Alan concerning Satan Currently not being Imprisoned

During the lifetime of Christ on the earth Satan appeared to Christ during His temptation, Matthew 4:1-11 and 1 Peter 3:8 makes it abundantly clear that Satan is not in hell nor in another place of imprisonment. 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

111. His Kingdom

Larkin quotes Matthew 12:24-30, Ephesians 6:12, and then uses Daniel 10:10-14 to show the reader that the kingdom of Satan is in the spiritual realm.

1. Principalities.

2. Powers.

3. Rulers of Darkness.

4. Wicked spirits in the Heavenlies.

1V. His Method

Larkin stresses that Satan uses two methods.

1. He is the Deceiver of the World.

As the “god” of this current world, or age. Satan deceives the peoples of this world. 1 John 5:19, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

2 Corinthians 4:3 & 4 says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Concerning Satan blinding the minds of the lost, Larkin states the following truth, “To this end Satan has his preachers who preach “another gospel.” Gal. 1:6-9. That gospel is the “doctrine of devils.” 1 Tim. 4:1. He is the instigator of “The Great Apostasy.”^v

Larkin then quotes from 2 Peter 2:1 & 2, “But there were false teachers also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you; who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”

Larkin then states, “These “false teachers” are to be seen on every hand. They are those who deny the “Virgin Birth,” “Deity,” “Bodily Resurrection” and “Personal Premillennial Return” of the Lord Jesus Christ.”^vi

Larkin then states, “Satan is very subtle in his methods, and if it were possible he would deceive the very elect. He knows all the great scripture subjects that are of universal interest to humanity, and he is too wise to attack them openly, so he adulterates them with false doctrine.”^vii

2. He is the Adversary of God’s People.

Larkin brings out that from Genesis 3:20 to Revelation 20:10 there is a constant warfare between “Good” and “Evil” and proceeds to give biblical examples of this warfare.

Note on the Warfare by Alan

Paul stated that we are in a spiritual battle. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

Paul the apostle stated that we should be good soldiers in this spiritual battle. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:3

Our amour is spiritual. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11,

Our Sword, our weapon, is the scriptures. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

The Captain, the Officer in Command, of our Salvation, is the Lord Jesus. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10

V. His Doom.

Larkin shows that Satan, in the form of the Antichrist, will one day be cast down onto the earth, in the form of a man, and for 3 ½ years, Revelation 12:9-12, rule on the face of the earth visible to all mankind. And, that for 1,000 literal years, Satan will be cast in hell, Revelation 20:1-3, released, and after a great final battle on the earth, be cast in the lake of fire for eternity.

• Revelation 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

• Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

i Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 12

ii Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 12

iii Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 12

iv Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 14

v Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 18

vi Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 18

vii Larkin, Clarence The Spirit World, (Glenside, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate), 1921, page 18

Edited May 29, 2018 by Alan
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[Alan]

After I made the notes on Satan, some more thoughts came to me concerning the "Methods Of Satan."

Note on the Methods of Satan by Alan

Satan is a deceiver and our adversary. Satan uses deception: through himself, his angels, evil spirits, and his ministers (false prophets, false teachers and false ministers of the gospel), in an effort to deceive. We will briefly look at two of his methods. In the following two methods we must remember that false teachers, false religions, and false prophets have used these methods throughout history and in the Christian realm in our age.

1. Satan subtly, then openly, places doubt on the word of God. In Genesis 3:1-21 Satan deceived Eve in a subtle manner and caused Adam and Eve to openly transgress the commandment of God. Satan started this deception by questioning what God said then openly twisting the very words of God. Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

In our day and age, this questioning of the word of God continues unabated by false ministers through the proliferation of false Bible translations of the King James Version of 1611 in seminaries, books, and compromising ministers. In the English language, the King James Version of 1611 is the “preserved word of God” and every version since the Revised Version of 1881 is a corrupt translation.

2. Satan miss-used, and miss-quoted, the scriptures themselves in order to try and deceive the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Temptation as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 4:6 “And saith [Satan] unto him [Jesus] If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Satan

miss-quoted, and miss-used, Psalm 91:11, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” Satan left out, “… in all thy ways…”

 

The miss-use, miss-quoting, and taking a verse out of context, or changing the meaning of words in the scriptures, and maligning the King James Version, continues unabated by compromising ministers, false teachers, the Charismatics, the Catholics, Seminary

Professors, Greek scholars, the Church of Christ denomination, trolls on the internet, disgruntled saints, the Progressive Movement among the Fundamentalist Movement, and many others too numerous to mention.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Alan
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[Ronda]

On 5/29/2018 at 11:44 AM, Alan said:

Ezekiel 28:13 says, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

The garden of Eden in Genesis 2:8 to 2:24 was planted by God: it is His garden. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” Genesis 2:8. Therefore, it is my thoughts that Ezekiel 28:13 is a reference to the physical garden of Eden and not a reference to heaven.

Brother Alan and sister Sherry, I am in agreement with you on this passage of scripture. Sadly, I think the erroneous "gap theory" is in large part based on both disregarding scripture as well as adding to scripture. 

When we compare Genesis 1: 16 to Job 38:7 and Rev.12:4, I believe we can clearly see when God made the angels (including Lucifer). According to Genesis 1:19, it was the fourth (literal) day. 

"And God made two great lights to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also" (Gen.1:16)

"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7)

"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth..." (Rev.12:4)

While it's true that God made the physical celestial sun, moon, and stars on this fourth day also, I do believe God's word shows a dual meaning for the word "stars" as shown in the above scripture. As surely we cannot disregard the intended meaning of Job. 38:7 and Rev.12:4 to the use of the word "stars". 

As we also see the term "garden" in both sections of scripture (Genesis chapters 2-3, and others as well as Ezekiel 28). There is also another clue given in Genesis 13:10. Let's compare Gen.13:10 to Ez.28:13.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." (Gen.13:10)

compared to:

"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created." (Ez.28:13) 

We see in all 3 parts of scripture here (Gen.2:8 (and other references in Gen.ch. 2-3) as well as in Gen.13:10 and Ez.28:13; the garden was a literal place on the physical earth that God created. To claim that the garden is in heaven, is to add to scripture as well as to omit all other references to the garden in scripture. 

Your teachings are a blessing! And always spur on more desire to study out a matter for myself in God's word (as I hope it for others as well).

God Bless! Maranatha!!!
 

[Alan]

On 6/13/2018 at 1:37 PM, Ronda said:

Your teachings are a blessing! And always spur on more desire to study out a matter for myself in God's word (as I hope it for others as well).

God Bless! Maranatha!!!

Ronda,

"The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat." Proverbs 15:30

Thank you for the good report. It is a blessing in my heart to know that this study is a blessing to you.

It is my hope that this Overview, and studies of the different subjects in Larkin's, "The Spirit World," is a blessings to others also.

It was my intention at the beginning to help others make a self-study on the different subjects in Larkin's book in order to have a more complete knowledge of the Spirit World.

Alan

[*Light*]

Quote

Larkin spends a considerable time with a section on, “The Spirit of Samuel,” and the prophet Samuel's appearance with King Saul in 1 Samuel 28:3-25. Larkin goes into great detail in explaining that God took the matter out of the hand of the medium, the witch of Endor, and allowed the prophet Samuel to sternly rebuke King Saul for his disobedience. I agree with Larkin in the interpretation of the passage. I would recommend anyone who is in doubt on what really happened with King Saul,the witch at Endor, and the appearance of the prophet Samuel to read the interpretation by Larkin.

 

I know this is an old thread but this came to my attention as a biblical "scholar" had mentioned that the passage in question cannot be referring to the *real* Samuel. 

Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 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. 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. 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. (1 Samuel 28:11-14)

In my analysis of this passage this really is Samuel. We are told twice by scripture, in verses 15 and 16, *Samuel* said. Notice, not "the image said" or "the ghost said", but *Samuel* said. Also we are told in verse 20 that Saul was "sore afraid" because of *Samuel's words*.  No matter how much this passage might bother people (and it bothers many people for a variety of reasons), I don't see any way to get around what the scripture says so unequivocally. The statements by those who say to the effect that this would be "God contradicting His own words" I do not see as correct. It is an abomination to do what Saul did. 

God did not do it; Saul did it. The fact that God often allows people to do things He prohibits is nothing new. By the logic of those who deny that this was the real Samuel, Eve could never have taken the fruit of the tree of knowing good and evil, since that was against God's will. But we human beings have been defying the will of the Almighty ever since -- to our great harm. Saul would have been much better off of course if he had spent the night repenting in ashes and sackcloth of his prior rebellions against the Lord instead of adding this new abomination to his list of offenses.
 
In my view it is most likely the case that this is the *only* time in human history that a seance of this sort actually contacted the person it was supposed to reach. And it is true that this would never have happened unless God had specifically allowed the exception. In the account, the witch is visibly shaken by the appearance of Samuel, and I imagine that whatever she had "seen" in previous such experiences had always been demon-induced fakery. But here the Lord allowed Samuel to speak with Saul . . . in order to rebuke him for his behavior and make crystal clear the reason for his coming defeat and death in battle (for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope: Rom. 15:4).

God Bless!

Edited October 2, 2018 by (Omega)

[Alan]

Omega,

Your comments on the Witch of Endor, King Saul, and the appearance of Samuel, are very good and I appreciate the inclusion of them in this study at this late date.

Alan