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Continuing our discussion from part one, towards the very end of his reign, King Saul engaged in battle against the Philistines. As the Scriptures relate, Saul was very worried about the potential outcome of the coming battle. Thus, he did something wicked which no Israelite king should ever do, and which was in fact strictly prohibited by the Mosaic Law. Consider the following group of verses:

"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God."


"And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people."


"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer."


"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?"


Yet that was exactly what foolish King Saul did. He defied the Lord and what was clearly forbidden by the Levitical Law, and he sought out the witch at Endor, in order to determine what the outcome of the war against the Philistines would be. This was due to the fact that the Prophet Samuel had already died. As a result, Saul could no longer seek counsel from the Prophet. But then, to make matters worse, Saul requested that the necromancer raise up the spirit of the Prophet Samuel. Consider the following group of verses:

"And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 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. 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. 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? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. 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. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou 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 answereth 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. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."


Now, I have seen certain Christians erroneously claim that this witch did not really raise up the spirit of the Prophet Samuel. Supposedly, she just pretended to do so. However, I do not agree with their conjecture. There are two reasons why I hold this particular position. For one thing, notice how surprised the necromancer was when Samuel's spirit was actually raised, and she was informed that the mysterious man was really King Saul. Someone who was simply faking it would not have reacted in this way, because they would have had complete control of the situation.

But there's an even more important reason why I'm personally convinced that the witch really did raise the spirit of the Prophet Samuel from the abode of the dead, and that Samuel really did speak to King Saul. The reason is found in the following verse:

"And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."


As we read above, the Prophet Samuel very specifically told Saul that he and his sons would die in battle the very next day, and join Samuel in the underworld. As we know from the Scriptures, that is exactly what happened. In my view, there is simply no possible way that that evil woman could have known that, particularly if she was faking it. So it had to be the disembodied spirit of the real Prophet Samuel. You may disagree if you like.

But returning to our main discussion, this Biblical example of King Saul, the witch of Endor and the Prophet Samuel offers the perfect example regarding why the Jews believed that Paradise was actually a part of the underworld -- or Hades in Greek mythology -- where the spirits of the dead abode. As I explained earlier, until Jesus was resurrected from the dead and became the firstborn of the dead, it was not possible for others to be fully raised from the dead. So the idea of a holding place or way station for departed spirits within the bowels of the Earth as both the Jews and Greeks believed seems to have merit in my view.

However, as I likewise explained previously, once the Lord was resurrected from the dead, my understanding -- which the Apostle Paul seems to confirm -- is that there is no longer the need for any kind of holding place or way station beneath the Earth for those people who have placed their faith in the atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Upon our physical death, our spirits immediately ascend to Heaven to be with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistles, "to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." as well as "a desire to depart, and to be with Christ."

Another incident which is related to this same subject, and which I have discussed before is found in the twenty-seventh chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Please consider the following group of Bible verses:

"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; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves AFTER HIS RESURRECTION, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."


The previous group of verses sounds like an actual physical resurrection of the dead, similar to what happened with the Lord's dear friend, Lazarus, in Bethany. Please carefully notice that this amazing resurrection occurred AFTER Jesus Himself had risen from the dead, thus clearly proving once again that Jesus had to rise first before all others, thus truly making Him the firstborn of the dead. It was Jesus' resurrection which made it possible for others to arise as well.

For this reason, I have sometimes wondered if this event which is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew might possibly be the First Resurrection event which is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, as we see by the following two verses:

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."


Please notice that in his Gospel, Matthew does not provide us with a specific number of how many of the Saints were raised from the dead. He simply states "many". That being the case, is it possible that said resurrection could have included ALL of the Old Testament Saints whose disembodied spirits had been in safe keeping in that place beneath the Earth's surface which was known as Paradise to the ancient Jews?

Now, regardless of whether this event was an actual physical resurrection of the bodies of the Saints, or a resurrection of just their spiritual bodies only, given the magnitude of this event, the Apostles must have certainly at least heard about it. On the other hand, maybe they actually encountered some of these risen Saints themselves. Whatever the case may be, it does add a little background information and helps to explain why they thought they had seen a spirit when Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst.

As I point out in the eight-part series "Hell, the Lake of Fire and Universalism", we find additional support for a multi-layered spiritual underworld in the following verses which are found in the Apostle Peter's first Epistle:

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also HE WENT AND PREACHED UNTO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."


As I explain in the series "Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis", it is my personal belief that these spirits in prison to whom Jesus went to preach were actually the Fallen Angels who had rebelled against the Lord, and who had wreaked so much havoc on the Earth prior to the Genesis Flood. So what these verses again seem to demonstrate is that the underworld, Hell, Hades or whatever you wish to call it, was actually a multi-tiered world. Some parts of it were apparently reserved for the disembodied spirits of those people who had believed in the coming Savior -- meaning Paradise -- while other parts were reserved for violent, wicked, unbelieving spirits. At least that seems to be what the ancient Jews believed.

Something else which I mention in the aforementioned series is that according to the Book of Enoch, demons are actually the violent, wicked spirits of the Nephilim giants. While their physical bodies were destroyed in the Genesis Flood, that was not the only judgment that God passed upon them according to Enoch. He informs us that upon departing from the bodies of the giants, those same spirits became evil demons which the Lord condemned to wander throughout the Earth, causing war, destruction, and other evil acts, until the day of the Great Judgment.

While some Christians don't accept the Book of Enoch as being divinely inspired text, Enoch's account does offer us a clear explanation regarding why demon-possessed people appear to be so strong. It simply isn't their own natural strength. A good example of this is the demoniac who Jesus encountered in the Gospels. We are informed that this demon-possessed man was even able to break his own chains and fetters. Here then are verses from both the Book of Enoch, and the Gospels of Mark and Luke:

"And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men, and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling. And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, but nevertheless hunger and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them. From the days of the slaughter and destruction and death of the giants, from the souls of whose flesh the spirits, having gone forth, shall destroy without incurring judgement -- thus shall they destroy until the day of the consummation, the great judgement in which the age shall be consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, yea, shall be wholly consummated."


"And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him."


"And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)"


The final group of verses I wish to share with you concerns those which are found in Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, and in the Book of Revelation, and which contain the phrase "under the earth". As you can see below, there are actually three instances where this interesting phrase is found:

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and THINGS UNDER THE EARTH; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."


"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And NO MAN in heaven, nor in earth, neither UNDER THE EARTH, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon . . . And EVERY CREATURE which is in heaven, and on the earth, and UNDER THE EARTH, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."


I have always been intrigued by the previous verses, and in particular, not only by the phrase "under the earth", but also by who or what the phrase is referring to. The Apostle Paul uses the word "things", while the Book of Revelation uses the phrase "no man", followed later by "every creature". The fact that Paul is writing about how every knee shall bow seems to be a confirmation that all of these verses are in fact referring to human beings, or at least the disembodied spirits of human beings -- and perhaps demons and the Fallen Angels as well -- who exist in the underworld beneath the Earth's surface.

So, what we have seen from all of the Scriptural evidence I have shared with you in this article is that departed or disembodied spirits are real, and also that a multi-tiered spiritual underworld exists as well. We have likewise seen that the ancient Jews apparently believed in disembodied spirits walking amongst human beings, as evidenced by the Apostle's reaction when Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. Please understand that this article does NOT include every single Bible verse where the underworld is mentioned. Neither does it endeavor to explain the various Hebrew and Koine Greek words which are used when this underworld is mentioned in the Scriptures. For that, allow me to again refer you to my lengthy series "Hell, the Lake of Fire and Universalism".

Having said all of the above, that just leaves us with one unanswered question which I asked earlier in this article; and that is the following: What happens to the spirits of unsaved individuals who do not accept the Lord during their physical lifetime? Do they also return to God as we read in the Book of Ecclesiastes? Or are they bound to the Earth or even under the Earth in Paradise or Hades? If the spirits of the Nephilim now wander the Earth as demons, according to the Book of Enoch, is it likewise possible that for reasons which are only known to God, the spirits of these deceased, unsaved human beings may also wander the Earth as earthbound spirits, or perhaps even be restricted to a certain location or maybe even be tied to a particular object? I honestly do not know for sure, so I am not about to fully embrace such a doctrine.

All I know for certain is what we read in the Scriptures; and that is that the witch of Endor raised the spirit of the Prophet Samuel from the dead, and the Apostles thought that they had seen a spirit when Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. I have opened the Scriptures to you. Now you decide what you want to believe. For my part, let me just say that in my seven plus decades of life, I have never personally seen a ghost, apparition, phantasm, phantom, disembodied spirit, departed spirit, or whatever you choose to call it. Actually, considering my age, I honestly hope that I never do see such an entity, because I would probably drop dead on the spot!

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

A Temple Veil, an Earthquake and a Centurion
Demonic Possession and Sickness: A Biblical Perspective
Hell, the Lake of Fire and Universalism
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
Judgment of Azazel: Scapegoat of the High Priest
Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis
Origin of Demons: Spirits of the Nephilim?
Sex, a Bowl of Soup and the Nature of Angels
The Book of Enoch: Truth or Heresy?
The Judgment of Angels, Demons and Men
What Happened to the Evil Spirits Known as Legion?

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