Did the witch of Endor really summon Samuel from the dead (1 Samuel 28:7-20)? Were Old Testament believers asleep or in heaven? How is this consitent with the parable of the "Rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31?

Did the witch of Endor really summon Samuel from the dead (1 Samuel 28:7-20)?

The account of the witch of Endor summoning Samuel is the only biblical record of someone being visited in such a manner by someone who was deceased.

Saul, had deprived himself of every legitimate means of spiritual input as a result of his own disobedience and rebellion, walked in foolishness again by seeking out the very resource (a medium) he had previously removed from the land.

By God’s law, mediums and spiritists were to be banned from Israel and the people were not to seek after them.

Deuteronomy 18:11 NKJV

11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

Leviticus 19:31 NKJV

31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

The fact that King Saul would even consider doing this shows just how far he had fallen from God’s grace. The passage does not give us any reason to believe it was anyone other than Samuel, who is described by the medium as an old man wearing a mantle (or robe) in v.14.

God miraculously gave Samuel this appearance so that Saul would know (NKJV says Perceive, which means to know. ESV translates better) who the spirit was.

The message Samuel gave Saul was completely accurate.

God allowed the witch of Endor to summon the prophet Samuel in order to give King Saul the news of his coming defeat and death. This does not mean that it is genuinely possible for witches or mediums to speak with the dead, only that God allowed it in this one exception.

When a person dies, his soul is taken to heaven or hell, depending on whether he has placed his faith in Christ.

Matthew 25:46 NKJV

46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

There is no reason to believe that a deceased person has any ability to leave heaven or hell in order to visit his living family members.

Any such claim is a demonic deception.

2 Corinthians 11:14–15 NKJV

14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

God declared such practices to be abhorrent to Him, and those who did practice such things in Israel were to be put to death.

Leviticus 20:27 NKJV

27 ‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’ ”

Deuteronomy 18:10–12 NKJV

10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.

Satan would like nothing more than for people to dabble in the occult world of spiritism and necromancy. God’s commandments regarding these things are designed to protect us from the schemes of our enemy, the devil, who

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Were Old Testament believers asleep or in heaven? How is this consistent with Luke 16:19-31

Any time the Bible refers to death as “sleep” it is being used as a metaphor. Soul sleep is an unbiblical doctrine.

2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV

8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

However, prior to Jesus resurrection it seems that believers were help captive in a place called “Abrahams Bosom.”

This is the only place in scripture it is mentioned. (SO we need to be careful)

Abraham's bosom, is thought to be the specific place where only the righteous dead lived prior to the resurrection. When someone was in Abraham's bosom they were with the righteous dead, not in the general population of the dead.

Torment is only connected with the rich man while Lazarus is afar off in the another place - for the righteous.

Many think, I included, that in the time between his death and resurrection, Jesus descended into “Abrahams Bosom” and preached to them.

Ephesians 4:8–10 NKJV

8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

I think he preached that he was the messiah and then led them to Heaven.

How is this consistent?

In v. 27-31 we read:

Luke 16:27–31 NKJV

27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

3 Key differences:

The difference between these two is that the Rich man was asking for Lazarus to return in bodily form to tell his Brothers.

Saul had Moses (the Law) but not the prophets. The rich man’s brother had access to more of God’s word than Saul did.

God allowing a Spirit to appear also happened in the New Testament but again reserved for a very special occurence. One of those (Moses had died)

(Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36)