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| The Bible is clear that believers or unbelievers should not be consulting mediums, , and witches. |
As Christians, should we communicate with the dead?
By JACK WELLMAN
Can we communicate with the dead?
Is this possible according to the Bible?
Communicating with the
Dead
I have
heard about the many that portend to be able to communicate with the
dead.
They hold séances and try to
get in touch with the deceased in order to have their family or friends communicate with
them. They desire to ask them a question, see what’s on the other side,
where they are at, and so forth.
The fact is that if they indeed
do communicate with anyone in the spirit world, it is an evil spirit.
The
Bible states that “the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of
them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes
9:5).
Further,
Solomon says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do
it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither
working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
Even Isaiah
records about the deceased, “They are now dead, they live no
more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to
ruin; you wiped out all memory of them” (Isaiah 26:14).
There is a spiritual world out
there full of demons who are
fallen angels that chose to rebel with Satan. They love to mimic the deceased
in order to have people fall into the trap of thinking that they are
communicating with the dead.
This is truly dangerous
territory for anyone to venture into and it is sin for unbelievers and for
believers.
Saul Communicates with the Dead
.
In
Deuteronomy 18:10-11 it says, “Let no one be found among you who
sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or
sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a
medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.”
The punishment for this in the
Old Testament was death because this is territory that humans have no business
being in.
When Saul, being fiercely
outnumbered by the Philistines, went to a medium at Endor, he asked the medium
to call back Samuel for advice.
Here is
the account in 1 Samuel 28:11-12 where the medium asked Saul, “Whom
shall I bring up for you?” “Bring up Samuel,” he said. When the woman saw
Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you
deceived me? You are Saul!”
Here we note that the medium was
terrified because she actually saw Samuel called up and knew that he was
dead. The medium was shocked because she had likely never done this
before and here was an actual person being called up from the dead – to her
utter amazement and terror.
Then, “Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by
bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,”
Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from
me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called
on you to tell me what to do.”
Samuel said, “Why do you
consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The
Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out
of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did
not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the
Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will deliver both Israel and
you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be
with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the
Philistines.”
Immediately Saul fell full
length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength
was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night. When the
woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your
servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to
do“ (1
Sam 28:15-21).
Notice that when the only time recorded in the Bible where someone
actually did come back from the dead, it was to announce the death of the one
who sought this (Saul).
The woman was terrified and she
feared for her life, knowing that this was punishable by death at that
time. I believe this was the only exception because Saul was being
disobedient and God had declared that David would be king years before.
Nothing good came out of this
experience for Saul and the same could be said for anyone who tries to repeat
such a thing as Saul did.
The Bible on
Consulting Mediums, Witches, Astrology’s and Psychics
The
Bible is clear that believers or unbelievers should not be consulting mediums,
psychics, and witches.
God alone is sovereign over the
future and we have no business trying to know it. No good thing will ever come
from trying to do this.
In fact, it is a mystery to me
why Christians read their horoscope to see what their day will be like when
there is absolutely no evidence that using the stars to read the future
works. Worse than that, it is clearly sin. Even Ouija boards are
considered sin, even though most Christians may not see the harm.
The Bible has much to say about consulting with mediums, witches or
psychics.
“When men tell you to consult mediums
and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their
God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isaiah 8:19)
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out
spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:31)
“I will set my face against the
person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following
them, and I will cut him off from his people.” (Leviticus 20:6)
“He sacrificed his own son in the
fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists.
He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.” (2 Kings 21:6)
“The Egyptians will lose heart, and I
will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits
of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.” (Isaiah 19:3)
“All the counsel you have received
has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who
make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.” (Isaiah 47:13)
“So do not listen to your prophets,
your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who
tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 27:9)
“I will destroy your witchcraft and
you will no longer cast spells.” (Micah 5:12)
Conclusion
We have
seen that the dead cannot communicate with the living (Isaiah
26:14).
Consulting mediums, witches,
astrologers, and psychics is sin (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).
Such spiritists will be cut off
from God forever (Leviticus 20:6).
It all comes to nothing anyway (Isaiah
19:3).
God’s face is against anyone
that tries to communicate with the dead, or consults mediums, psychics,
witches, astrologers, and any kind of spiritist.
If you communicate with someone
from the dead, it is not who you think it is. Besides, once someone dies,
he cannot cross over again to the living (Luke 16:26).
It is dangerous for anyone to
even try. Once a person dies he is in only one of two places.
In torment and separated from
God or with the Lord in a state of bliss.
In either place that soul will
live forever. It will be either in agony and regret or in joy and
happiness … both will be forever.
Decide today where you will go
after you die. By placing your trust in Jesus Christ, I can assure you
that it is a decision you will eternally live to never regret.
Would you want to have a
deeper relationship with God?
God has made it possible for you to know Him
and experience
an amazing change in your own life by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have
eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
.
.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away
from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
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up to you
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Five Facts About Death
What does the Bible say about astrology or the
zodiac?
.
Jack Wellman is
a father and grandfather and a Christian author, freelance writer, and pastor
at the Mulvane (KS) Brethren church in Mulvane, Kansas. Graduate work at Moody
Bible Institute. His books are inexpensive paperbacks that are theological in
nature: “Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children,“ “Do Babies
Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?,“ "The Great Omission;
Reaching the Lost for Christ," and “Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?,
Empirical Methodologies & the Bible."
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