Around Tokyo
The Fight against Satan through Access to the Afterlife or the Spirit World
Over the change of centuries, it seems that the mankind have come to strengthen the concern about the afterlife or the spirit world.
Although, the the afterlife and the spirit world are assured in the Gospels and the words of Christ Jesus, in this modern era where people do not much think of Christ Jesus, His words and the teachings of the Bible, their works have made people think of spiritual matters anew.
Raymond Moody came to believe in the existence of the afterlife through checking results of his collection of near-death experiences from hundreds of people who fell in fatal diseases or met fatal accidents. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross took care of more than 1,000 dying patients in hospitals and examined the process of dying to firmly believe that there are the afterlife and the spirit world.
However, there is warning in the Bible on spiritual entities:
1 John 4
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Matthew 24
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Not only death and life is the crucial issue in the Bible but also the fight against Satan is. Christ Jesus wants people to know that poor men will enter into Heaven but rich men will fall into the hell. In other words, Christ Jesus wants people to realize that there is the afterlife and the spirit world. And, Satan must not mind if people realize the existence of the spirit world.
Rather, Satan must try to send its followers to the spirit world after their death in this world as many as possible to fight against the God and Christ Jesus. Satan must also try to send evil spirits pretending to be angels into this world or among living people so as to influence or deceive people.
Indeed, Moody's work to develop a mechanism where spirits of deceased men are invoked has not become widely accepted and successful. Kübler-Ross once relied on a spirit medium who was eventually turned out to be an evil man when she wanted to see her guardian spirits. They have not tried to establish communications with spiritual entities from their belief in Christ Jesus or the God, but they took access to spiritual matters and the spirit world rather from their standpoints as medical doctors without fully keeping guard on evil spirits, demons, and Satan.
Nonetheless, it is a great undertaking that they have opened eyes of people to the afterlife and the spirit world through their sincere work in the medical field. Now, roughly speaking, two thirds of Americans believe in the afterlife, the spirit world, and existence of spiritual entities. And, a majority of Japanese seem to admit spiritual phenomena and supernatural events. Indeed, the 21st century will be the century featured by spiritual or supernatural phenomena.
Yet, the most important issue for men is the fight against Satan like in the case of Christ Jesus. The access to the afterlife and the spirit world should be based on this notion: the fight against Satan.
++++ ++++ ++++
Mark 9, King James Version
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.