TRITE but true is the saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction." Fiction sometimes
illuminates the truth.
A number of years ago Mrs. J. G. Smith published a novel entitled Seola. She claims to have
been im- pelled to write it after listening to beautiful music. She made no
pretense of a knowledge of the Bible. Yet many of her sayings are so thoroughly
in accord with the correct understanding of certain scriptures that the novel
is exceedingly interesting and sometimes thrilling. The greatest Bible scholar
of modern times read this book shortly before his death. To a close personal friend
he said: "This book, if revised according to the facts we now know
concerning spiritism, would be instructive and helpful." Long prior
thereto this noted Bible scholar had written and published the first clear exposition
of the Bible teaching on spiritism. He advised his personal friend to revise
the novel Seola and to publish it if opportunity was afforded at some future
time.
This book
deals with the events transpiring between the date of the creation of man and
the great deluge. The principal characters figuring in the novel are Satan, fallen
angels and women. Angels are heavenly messengers. There was a time when all
angels were good. The time came when many of them allied themselves with Satan
and became evil, hence called "fallen angels." Woman possesses finer
sensibilities than man. She is more susceptible to seductive influences. Satan and
his allies have taken advantage of this fact in overreaching woman and through
woman overreaching man. Holy angels are the exemplification of good. Good women
are blessed creatures. Evil spirit beings started good human
beings on the downward road. Evil angels and bad women have made countless
millions mourn.
The Bible story of fallen angels or evil spirits is briefly told as
follows:
Lucifer, once a good spirit being, of great knowledge and authority,
in order to satisfy his ambitious desire for greater authority, deceived Eve,
the first woman, causing her to sin. Adam, the first man, joined her in the
transgression. The sentence of death and expulsion from Eden resulted. Nine
hundred and thirty years were employed in executing that death sentence. During
that time there was born to Adam and Eve a number of children. Sixteen hundred
years later, among these descendants of Adam and Eve, were Noah and his family.
Lucifer, now degraded, was named by Jehovah the Dragon, that old
Serpent, Satan the Devil God had permitted the angels, prior to the flood, to
have supervision of the peoples of earth. (Hebrews 2:3.) These angels had power
to materialize in human form and mingle amongst the human race. Satan seduced
many of these angels and caused them to become wicked or fallen ones. They in
turn debauched the women descendants of Adam. The materialized angels, called
"sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took
them wives of all which they chose." (Genesis 6:2.) A mongrel race
resulted from these fallen angels with the offspring of Adam. These filled the
earth with wickedness and violence. Their wickedness became so great that the
Lord Jehovah brought upon the world the great deluge that destroyed all of this
mongrel race.
The sons of God who succumbed to the temptations and thus became the
fallen angels are alluded to as "Devas" in this book; their offspring
as "Darvands."
The fallen angels or evil spirits were not destroyed in the flood,
but imprisoned in the darkness of the atmosphere near the earth. Upon this
point the inspired words of holy writ are: "For God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of
darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." (2 Peter 2:4.) "And the
angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he
hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day."(Jude 6.)
Since the flood these evil angels have had no power to materialize,
yet they have had the power and exercised it, of communicating with human
beings through willing dupes known as spirit mediums. Thus have been deceived
hundreds of thousands of honest people into believing that their dead friends
are alive and that the living can talk with the dead.
All students, familiar with the Bible teaching concerning spiritism,
will read this book with the keenest interest because it shows the method
employed by Satan and the wicked angels to debauch and overthrow the human
race. The reviser of this book is of the opinion that the original manuscript
was dictated to the woman who wrote it by one of the fallen angels who desired
to return to divine favor. It is believed that reverential persons now
examining the revised edition of this book will have a better understanding of
the evil influence about us and be better fortified in the Lord’s word and grace
to shield and protect themselves from these evil influences.
Spiritism, otherwise named demonism, is working great evil amongst
men. It should be studiously avoided. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Hence this publication.