The Occult
Did you know...
These are all forms of the occult. Occult means "Secret Knowledge". What does the Bible say about these things?
Old Testament:
- Did you know that the Bible talks about astrology (Horoscopes, Zodiac)?
- Did you know that the Bible talks about fortune tellers (palm readers, esp, etc.)?
- Did you know that the Bible talks about spiritualism (ghosts, communication with the dead, seances, channeling, mediums)?
- Did you know that the Bible talks about reincarnation?
- Did you know that the Bible talks about occult magic (witchcraft)?
These are all forms of the occult. Occult means "Secret Knowledge". What does the Bible say about these things?
Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 4:19 "When you look up at the sky, you see the sun, moon, and stars, and everything in the sky. But don’t bow down and worship them, because the LORD your God has made these things for all people everywhere. " |
Astrology |
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 "When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never (a) sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice (b)fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to (c)interpret omens, or engage in (d)witchcraft, or cast spells, or (e)function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD . It is because the other nations have done these things that the LORD your God will drive them out ahead of you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The people you are about to displace consult with sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the LORD your God forbids you to do such things." |
(a) Child sacrifice (satanism) (b) Fortune telling (c) Astrology (d) Occult magic (e) Spiritualism (channeling) |
Leviticus 19:31 "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 20:6-7 "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. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God." (See also Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27; Numbers 33:50-52 Deuteronomy 12:30-31; Deuteronomy 17:2-7) |
Spiritualism (seances, channeling) |
God wants us to seek our guidance, comfort, and power from Him, and not from any other spiritual force (which comes only from Satan's realm). 2 Kings 1:2-3 "Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, 'Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.' "But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, 'Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?"'" |
Ask God for power and guidance, not the occult. |
Isaiah 8:19-20 "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? "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." |
Fortune tellers & Spiritualists do not speak for God. Listen to God, not the occult. |
Isaiah 47:12-15 "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. 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. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by. That is all they can do for you-- these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you." |
Occult Magic (witchcraft) Astrology |
Jeremiah 10:1-3 "Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless..." |
Astrology |
New Testament:
Galatians 4:8-11 "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you." |
Astrology's source and power |
Acts 16:16-18 (Doctor Luke wrote...) "Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' "She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her." |
Fortune Telling |
Acts 19:11-16 describes an incident when non-Christians tried to conjure spiritual power "in the name of Jesus." They failed miserably, and were physically hurt. Acts 19:17-20 "When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. (1 drachma = 1 day's wage.) In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." (For other stories on how the power of Christ confronted occult power, see Acts 8:9-24 and Acts 13:6-12) |
Occult Magic |
What about "Reincarnation"?
Hebrews 9:27 "...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..."The doctrine of reincarnation teaches that the souls of people gain moral and spiritual improvement through repeated birth and life. It is a religion of righteousness based on works and self improvement, not forgiveness. According to the religion of reincarnation, the death of Christ has no value to us other than to demonstrate by example the moral virtue of a very good man. The doctrine of reincarnation is directly antithetical to the person, the work, and the claims of Christ, who said...
"...Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
What about "Ghosts"?
The Bible teaches that when a person dies, his spirit immediately goes either (1) to be with Jesus in heaven, or (2) to hell forever. A person's spirit cannot return to earth as a ghost to communicate with other people. (See Luke 16:19-31; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:21-23.) But sometimes people see ghosts! Why? Who or what are ghosts?
The Bible teaches that there is a world of spiritual darkness ruled by Satan. The devil and his evil spirits are "fallen angels" who rebelled against God. (See 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-9)
God's good angels can appear to people with a message directly from God. So also, Satan and his evil angels can appear to people. If people what to believe Satan's lie, they may see his evil angels as "ghosts". (See John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14)
Christians who are living under God's power and protection can discern Satan's tricks. (Luke 10:17-20; Jude 10) However, Christians living in rebellion make themselves vulnerable to Satan's deceptions (1 Samuel 15:23)
Summary
There are two spiritual forces in the world: God's and Satan's Seeking spiritual knowledge apart from Jesus is a direct violation of God's principles for His guidance and protection. Playing with the occult is not a game! People who dabble in the occult are not aware that they are in dangerous fellowship with the great deceiver, the devil.
An occultist seeks supernatural power. A Christian acknowledges that he has no power, so he surrenders his life to the power of Christ. As Christians we don't posses the power of God. Rather, the power of God possesses us.
God and Satan are not "yin and yang," i.e. two equal and opposite forces. God is greater than Satan. God is the creator. Satan is a mere creature, whose doom is sure. God's desire is that we receive His righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. God wants us to experience His peace and joy by honestly confessing our sins against Him and receiving His forgiveness. God wants us to experience the power of His holiness and wisdom by being fill with His Holy Spirit. God wants us to see Him for advice through the counsel of His Word, the Bible.
There are two spiritual forces in the world: God's and Satan's Seeking spiritual knowledge apart from Jesus is a direct violation of God's principles for His guidance and protection. Playing with the occult is not a game! People who dabble in the occult are not aware that they are in dangerous fellowship with the great deceiver, the devil.
An occultist seeks supernatural power. A Christian acknowledges that he has no power, so he surrenders his life to the power of Christ. As Christians we don't posses the power of God. Rather, the power of God possesses us.
God and Satan are not "yin and yang," i.e. two equal and opposite forces. God is greater than Satan. God is the creator. Satan is a mere creature, whose doom is sure. God's desire is that we receive His righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. God wants us to experience His peace and joy by honestly confessing our sins against Him and receiving His forgiveness. God wants us to experience the power of His holiness and wisdom by being fill with His Holy Spirit. God wants us to see Him for advice through the counsel of His Word, the Bible.
1 John 1:5-9
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 4:1, 4
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world... You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
Romans 16:19-20
"Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."