Where is Saul Today?
By Apollos (mb)
This study deals with a very controversial subject and many dear
brothers hold a different opinion to that of this writer. However, that
should not stop us from investigating scripture in order to find out what
the word of God teaches.
Saul had a good start as king, he was the Lord’s anointed (1Sam 10:1),
the Spirit of God came upon him (1Sam 11:6), and he was humble (1Sam
10:22). Despite such a good start, Saul later turned out to be a rebellious
and disobedient king.
Consequently, God removed His Holy Spirit from Saul and replaced his
Spirit with an evil spirit (1Sam 16:14). Saul tried to murder David a few
times (1Sam 18:11, 19:10), he did murder 85 innocent priests of the
Lord, Saul plainly rebelled against God’s clear commandment (1Sam
15:23), hence the Lord became Saul’s enemy (1Sam 28:16). And to top it
all off, Saul against his better knowledge, went to see a witch and ask for
help (1Sam 28:8).
And so, is it still possible that Saul is today in heaven instead in hell?? Let
us not speculate but consult only the word of God.
Slide 1
INDEX
1. UNTIL THE DAY OF HIS DEATH
2. GOD GAVE HIM ANOTHER HEART
Slide No.
S3
S6
Key To Highlighted Passages
Scriptures 1Samuel
Reference Scriptures
Highlighted Text
Special Text
Slide 2
Until the day of his death
The following verse is the key to understand the problem about Saul’s eternal position.
1Samuel 15:35, “And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death:
nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king
over Israel.”
This writer absolutely rejects the acceptance of Hebrew or Greek words if they contradict a
word in the preserved KJB; - however this writer will occasionally look at a Hebrew or Greek
word if it expands the meaning of a KJB word. Such is the case here with the word DAY.
If Strong’s explanation below is correct, then we have the solution of our problem; the day of
death in the verse above refers to a 24 hour period.
[
yowm yome ] From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours),
whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next).
Which death in 1Sam 15:35 is under consideration, Samuel’s or Saul’s? In order to find that
out we must investigate if Samuel, during the rest of his earthly life, did come to see Saul?
1 Samuel 25:1, “And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and
lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the
wilderness of Paran.”
Slide 3
There is no indication that at any time hereafter, Samuel came to see Saul. The encounter in
1Sam 19:24 is different, since it was Saul that came to see Samuel, not Samuel who came to see
Saul. Consequently ‘the day of his death’ must refer to Saul’s death. Hence, the only time that
Samuel came to see Saul, was during that 24 hour day when Samuel was called up by the witch of
Endor, and so according to 1Samuel 15:35, it was indeed Samuel and not an impersonating evil
spirit who came up to see Saul.
1 Samuel 28:19, “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.”
Also, there are several facts in 1Sam 28, where at a plain reading seems to indicate that it was
indeed Samuel who came up to see Saul, not an impersonating evil spirit:
1. 1 Samuel 28:12, “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.”
The woman apparently was surprised when she saw Samuel; this seems to suggest that the
appearance of Samuel was unique, not like the manifestations of some evil spirits which she
normally experienced. The Lord allowed that her eyes were opened and she was able to look into
the fourth dimension and saw the coming and goings of “gods” - say angels. Since her eyes were
opened she now understood that it was Saul himself who had come to see her.
2. 1 Samuel 28:14, “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.”
Slide 4
Now if it was not Samuel, but an impersonating evil spirit which came up, than one would
expect that the text would somehow indicate that.
1 Samuel 28:15, “ 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.”
1 Samuel 28:16, “ Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is
departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?”
“And Samuel said” – if this was anybody else but Samuel, than the text would be misleading.
In fact at other times when a spirit or a devil spoke, the Bible identified him as such.
2 Chronicles 18:21, “ And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his
prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and
do even so.” (Dan 10:11-13)
Acts 16:17-18, “The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the
servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she
many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the
name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.”
(Acts 19:15, Mat 8:31)
1 Samuel 28:20, “Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid,
because of the words of Samuel: …”
Slide 5
God gave him another heart
Please observe, - It clearly states ‘Because of the words of Samuel’, not because of the words of a
lying spirit.
1 Samuel 28:19, “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.”
If this was indeed Samuel who spoke to Saul, then the conclusion that Saul is in hell can’t be
correct, since Saul and his godly son Jonathan are in the same place where Samuel is.
This writer admits that it is very surprising that Saul, after all that he did, would still end up in
paradise, yet what can one conclude if one takes the word of God literally? Brothers/Sisters, ‘if
the plain text makes sense, - seek no other’.
There is one more point which seems to suggest that Saul is not in hell.
1Sam 10:9, “And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him
another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.”
Ezekiel 36:26, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
As far as this writer is aware, God never took that other heart away from Saul. Once God has
given a new heart to a person, is there a verse in scripture that informs us God will remove that
new heart? This writer does not know such a verse.
The End
Slide 6