But the One to whom all the spirits of evil are subject and who had given His servants authority over them, was about to bring still greater shame and defeat upon those who despised and profaned His holy name.Sorcery had been prohibited by the Mosaic law, on pain of death, yet from time to time it had been secretly practiced by apostate Jews.At the time of Paul's visit to Ephesus there were in the city "certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists,"who, seeing the wonders wrought by him, "took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus." An attempt was made by "seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests." Finding a man possessed with a demon, they addressed him, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." But "the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."Thus unmistakable proof was given of the sacredness of the name of Christ, and the peril which they incurred who should invoke it without faith in the divinity of the Saviour's mission."Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."Facts which had previously been concealed were now brought to light.In accepting Christianity, some of the believers had not fully renounced their superstitions.To some extent they still continued the practice of magic.
Now, convinced of their error, "many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds." Even to some of the sorcerers themselves the good work extended; and "many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."By burning their books on magic, the Ephesian converts showed that the things in which they had once delighted they now abhorred.It was by and through magic that they had especially offended God and imperiled their souls; and it was against magic that they showed such indignation.Thus they gave evidence of true conversion.
These treatises on divination contained rules and forms of communication with evil spirits.They were the regulations of the worship of Satan--directions for soliciting his help and obtaining information from him.By retaining these books the disciples would have exposed themselves to temptation; by selling them they would have placed temptation in the way of others.They had renounced the kingdom of darkness, and to destroy its power they did not hesitate at any sacrifice.Thus truth triumphed over men's prejudices and their love of money.
By this manifestation of the power of Christ, a mighty victory for Christianity was gained in the very stronghold of superstition.The influence of what had taken place was more widespread than even Paul realized.From Ephesus the news was widely circulated, and a strong impetus was given to the cause of Christ.Long after the apostle himself had finished his course, these scenes lived in the memory of men and were the means of winning converts to the gospel.
It is fondly supposed that heathen superstitions have disappeared before the civilization of the twentieth century.But the word of God and the stern testimony of facts declare that sorcery is practiced in this age as verily as in the days of the old-time magicians.The ancient system of magic is, in reality, the same as what is now known as modern spiritualism.Satan is finding access to thousands of minds by presenting himself under the guise of departed friends.The Scriptures declare that "the dead know not anything." Ecclesiastes 9:5.Their thoughts, their love, their hatred, have perished.The dead do not hold communion with the living.But true to his early cunning, Satan employs this device in order to gain control of minds.
Through spiritualism many of the sick, the bereaved, the curious, are communicating with evil spirits.All who venture to do this are on dangerous ground.The word of truth declares how God regards them.In ancient times He pronounced a stern judgment on a king who had sent for counsel to a heathen oracle: "Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die." 2 Kings 1:3, 4.
The magicians of heathen times have their counterpart in the spiritualistic mediums, the clairvoyants, and the fortune-tellers of today.The mystic voices that spoke at Endor and at Ephesus are still by their lying words misleading the children of men.Could the veil be lifted from before our eyes, we should see evil angels employing all their arts to deceive and to destroy.Wherever an influence is exerted to cause men to forget God, there Satan is exercising his bewitching power.When men yield to his influence, ere they are aware the mind is bewildered and the soul polluted.The apostle's admonition to the Ephesian church should be heeded by the people of God today: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:11.
