(Originally printed in 1991 in Strong Gospel Magic by Duane Laflin)
EFFECT: A silk vanishes from magicians fist and appears in a small box. (Instead it could appear under a glass on a pedestal if magician owns proper equipment).
NOTE: This effect can be done with props you probably already own. If you do not own them you could purchase everything necessary for under $25.00.
If you own the more expensive props (a silk pedestal) you can do it the fancy way, but the inexpensive way works fine.
SECRET: This effect requires a thumbtip, little drawer box, and two matching 9” silks. One silk is previously loaded into the drawer box. The box is shown empty while keeping the silk in the hidden compartment. The other silk is vanished by way of the thumbtip. The effect is that the silk traveled from the hand to the box.
PRESENTATION: In II Corinthians 5:1 the Apostle Paul spoke about the
subject of death and stated that when a Christian dies it is like a change of houses. He likened out present life to being in a temporary house and said that at death we leave the temporary house for an eternal one made by God in heaven. This is the hope and confidence of those who believe. We know that at death we have not ended. We instead have just made a change of location. We have gone from earth to heaven.
Here is an example of that (Show the drawer box empty). We will use this box to represent heaven. Right now the believer is not there.
We will use this cloth to represent the Christian. (Thumbtip is on right hand, hidden behind cloth). First of all a Christian is a physical person which means he is a soul and spirit in a body. My fist will stand for the physical body. The person a Christian is consists of the soul and spirit. It is important to remember that the body is not the person; it is just the house the person presently uses. (Start poking silk into fist…actually you have slipped the thumbtip into the fist first. The silk is going into the thumbtip. When the silk is in the thumbtip steal the thumbtip back out on the right hand so the left fist is left empty. The audience thinks it contains the silk).
So as we have said, a Christian is a person consisting of soul and spirit in a body. Now, what happens when a Christian dies? Does he or she become nothing? No. At death the person the Christian is leaves the physical shell, (open hand to show silk has vanished), and goes to be with God in heaven. (Pick up drawer box). Remember, we said this box represents heaven. What is inside? (open it to reveal silk).
The Christian is not lost or destroyed in death. The Christian instead has entered the eternal home. This is one of the things that make it so exciting to be a Christian. Christians do know for sure that if they were to die today they would go to be with God in heaven!
NOTE: The little drawer box works fine for this and is economical. However with a silk pedestal the effect becomes especially strong. Show the pedestal at the start of the effect. Place a bottomless glass on it. (Audience does not know the glass is bottomless). Cover the glass with a metal cup or can. You might even choose to write the word, “Heaven”, on the can. The silk is then vanished by way of the thumbtip and reproduced in the glass that was on the pedestal under the can.
NOTE: A study of II Corinthians 5: 1-10 could be done in conjunction with this effect. The effect is a good illustration on the body being a shell and the person being something/someone inside the shell. Understanding death is an important matter for all believers.
NOTE: When the lesson is kept on a simple level this effect is great for a children’s sermon, release time classes, junior church, or an object lesson in the opening time of Sunday School.