Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

were the only conditions on which Saul could be king of Israel. If he
had respected these conditions, his kingdom would have been safe;
God would have been his guide, the Almighty his shield. Although
his rebellion and stubbornness had nearly silenced the divine voice
in his soul, there was still opportunity for him to repent. But when
Saul, facing danger, turned to Satan, he cut the last tie that bound
him to his Maker. He placed himself fully under the control of the
satanic power that for years had brought him to the edge of
destruction.
Under cover of darkness, Saul and his companions safely
passed the Philistine army. They crossed the mountain ridge to the
lonely home of the sorceress of Endor. Even though he was
disguised, Saul's unusual height and kingly bearing showed that he
was not a common soldier. The rich gifts that he offered
strengthened her suspicions. To his request the woman answered,
"Saul has ... cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land.
Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" Then
"Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, 'As the Lord lives, no
punishment shall come upon you for this thing.'" And when she said,
"Whom shall I bring up for you?" he answered, "Samuel."
After performing her magic rituals, she said, "'I saw a spirit
ascending out of the earth. ... An old man is coming 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 down."
It was not God's prophet that appeared. Samuel was not present
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