Did the Witch of Endor really call the spirt of Samuel?

The story of the Witch of Endor summoning the the ghost or spirit of Samuel in 1 Samuel 28 is often dismissed as a trick, hallucination, or a demonic deception. But is it really? There are, in fact, reasons to believe it was the spirit of Samuel:

1) The spirit of Samuel prophesized that the Philistines would defeat Israel and Saul and his sons would die the very next day. The people involved and the exact day it was prophesied were fulfilled to the letter. This would rule out a demon because they don't know the future, nor can they make it happen. Also, the spirit of Samuel did not contradict God or say anything that is untrue. He only confirmed what God has already decreed, rebukes Saul, and enforces accountability, just as an actual prophet of God would do. Demons deceive, but there was no deception involved.

2) The witch of Endor is startled and surprised to see the ghost of Samuel, indicating it was a genuine experience. Also, the witch was reluctant to even call forth Samuel out of fear of death. She would certainly have been equally afraid to deceive Saul. This would rule out it being a trick or deception.

3) The witch sees Samuel, and while Saul doesn't see Samuel, he does have a direct conversion with Samuel. This would rule out an hallucination.

4) The narrator of the book, not the witch, says that it was Samuel multiple times. The Biblical narrator is the authoritative voice. It's the job of the narrator to expose deception when it occurs, and they never refute that it was not actually the spirit of Samuel.

5) Early Jews and Christians overwhelmingly believed it was the actual spirit of Samuel, including Josephus, the Church Fathers (e.g., Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Justin Martyr), and Talmudic discussions.

Objection: God condemned such a practice, so why would He allow such a thing?

Response: God has occasionally used unapproved channels to communicate His divine will. One prime example is Balaam, a pagan diviner, speaking His will to bless Israel. Another example is opening the mouth of Balaam's donkey so that it could speak. Animals are not supposed to speak, that is outside of God's divine order. Yet, in this one instance, God allowed it for His express purposes. In the end, God is God and can do what He wants, even make exceptions.

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