Spiritualism and the Occult

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer" Deuteronomy 18:10 (New King James Version)

The Bible speaks strongly on the subject of communication with spirits of the dead, witchcraft, astrology, sorcery, spells, divination and many other occultist and luciferian practices. Many of these practices have recently become acceptable in mainstream media with vampires, ghouls, ghosts, enchantment and daemons constantly splashed on television and perpetrated through movies.

What is Spiritualism?

Spiritualism is a broad term given to the belief that living humans can communicate with the spirits of the dead through “mediums” or via gifted humans often through séances who can then provide guidance, information about the afterlife and knowledge.

Is this different from Occult teachings?

Spiritualism is synonymous with the occult and comes from the Latin word ‘occultus’ meaning hidden, secret, clandestine with the basic premise of “hidden truth” or knowledge of the paranormal and other terms such as esoteric and arcane can have a very similar meaning. The practice of magick (note the spelling), alchemy, extra-sensory perception, astrology, spiritualism, lithomancy and numerology is strictly forbidden in the Bible but for what reason? Why is communicating or channeling familiar ‘spirits’ bad or contrary to Gods law? Isn’t it just some harmless fun? The basic premise behind all forms of Spiritualism and occult practice is that the living can communicate with the dead.

“Consult a spirit for me... and bring up for me the one I name". Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"... "Bring up Samuel". The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."... Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. Paraphrase 1 Samuel 28 NIV

In the above story, Saul consulted with a medium (the witch of Endor) and requested she speak with Samuel the prophet who was dead. Saul hoped to receive guidance regarding an upcoming battle and rather than seeking real answers from the God of the Bible he sought answers from a witch and he died the next day in battle.

Can the dead communicate with the living?

No. The Bible clearly states the dead remain in the graves untill the second coming of Jesus. A full Biblical analysis of the state of the dead can be found here - What happens when we die?.

The dead cannot contact the living, nor do they know what the living are doing. They are dead. Their thoughts have perished Psalm 146:4. Jesus called the unconscious state of the dead “sleep”. (John 11:11-14)

What about apparitions, ghosts and visible forms?

Many people sincerely believe that they have physical eye-witness proof that the dead do return. They have the witness of their own senses and may have actually conversed with a departed loved one. Isn’t this proof that the dead can return? The fact is that forms and apparitions do appear, and they have been verified countless times. But on the basis of infallible Word of God we can categorically reject them as being the spirits of the dead.

If its not the dead then who is appearing?

Who else but the father of lies who built his first deception around the issue of death. “The serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die” Genesis 3:4. Who was this ‘serpent’? That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan” Revelation 12:9.

Devils and fallen angels can impersonate the dead for the purpose of deceiving. Why? Humans go by their senses more than the word of God (the Bible). The devil knows that people will believe an apparition more than they will believe the word of God.

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles” (Revelation 16:14, KJV).

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mathew 24:24)"

Satan will try to make the living believe that the dead do not actually die by providing these illusions. By impersonating those who died, Satan has persuaded millions that he was right and God was wrong, accepting the testimony of their eyes and ears above the testimony of the Bible, many have become expert in calling up the spirits in séances.

Often Satan exploits the grief of those who have lost relatives and tries to draw them into his spiritualistic snare by pretending to be their own special loved one. What an overwhelming delusion. Only those who have fortified their minds with the truths of the Bible will be able to stand against this type of attack.

Bible Truth - Spiritualism Spirits & Souls - Genesis 2:7 Can Souls die? Yes - Ezekiel 18:4 The dead know nothing - Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10 The dead remain in the grave - Job 17:13

So what is a ‘spirit’?

The word spirit means breath and the actual root word in the Greek is “pneuma”, a word which means breath or air. We take our English words “pneumonia” and “pneumatic tires” after the word “air”. The same Greek word “pneuma” also has another meaning. It means “spirit”. For example the Greek term for “Holy Spirit” is “Hagios pneumatos”, “Holy Breath” or “Holy Spirit”. This clearly shows that the words “breath” and “spirit” are often used interchangeably in the Bible. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” Genesis 2:7 When Solomon described the spirit returning to God, he had to be referring to the breath, because that was what God gave in the beginning, and therefore, it was the only thing that could now “return” to the One who gave it. Do not miss the significance of these words – they are often misconstrued. God did not put a soul into the body. He added only one thing – breath or spirit. Then, as a result of the body and the breath uniting, man became a soul.

Watch this video called The House That Spirits Built from It Is Written Oceania

Can the Soul leave the body?

When the Bible refers to the soul it doesn’t go in and out of the body neither does it have any independent existence outside of the body (except in poetical or allegorical usage). At that moment man “became a living soul”. If the soul came to be as a result of that union, when does the soul cease to be? Surely as a result of the breaking of that union.

To clearly explain this scenario, imagine you have two things: some boards and some nails. We take a hammer and drive the nails into the boards, making a box. Now we have three things instead of two; we have boards, nails and a box. Later, we carefully pull out the nails and lay them down beside the boards. Again, we have only two things before us: boards and nails. What happened to the box? There is no box, because it requires the two things together to cause it to be.

In the same way God started with two things, the body and the spirit. When he put them together the soul “became” or began to exist. At death, the spirit returns to God and the body returns to dust. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that any soul survives the body or continues to exist without a body.

When are the dead brought back to life?

At the resurrection when Jesus comes back. “All that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth.” John 5:28,29. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his works shall be” Revelation 22:12.