Seventh-day Adventist® Church

There has always been a fascination to communicate with the “spirit world.” Some feel that once a person has died, their “spirit” supernaturally has access to knowledge or information that wouldn’t be available to those of us who are alive. Others enjoy the novelty and are just curious, “what would it be like to communicate with a supernatural entity?”  Thus, many pull out Ouija boards, visit psychics or mediums in hopes of finding answers to their future. It’s hard to blame them, since the world seems to be falling apart at the seams and many feel uncertain about what’s coming next.
Feature Topic:  What does the Bible say about death?

But, Isaiah 46:9-10, says, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’”

This shows that God alone can "see" into the future.

What does the Bible say about ouija boards and contacting spirits?

In fact, there are strong warnings against contacting the spirits. Leviticus 19:31, “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” 20:6, “And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.” Why?

First, the Bible commonly compares death with sleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 NKJV says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus." Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10 NKJV, says "The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun…For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave." Our departed loved ones are said to be "sleeping" and actually have no consciousness of those who are living.

So if the dead are merely sleeping, then who are the spirits mediums and psychics contacting? If it is true that our loved ones are unconscious of “anything that is done under the sun,” then who or what are pretending to be those we were “familiar” with and knew us so well when they were alive?

Revelation 12:8-9 NKJV, says "But they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." We see that Satan, "the father of lies," and his minions are trying to “deceive the whole world.”

Fallen angels can deceive us by appearing as good beings, even spirits of people we are familiar with. "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds." (2 Corinthians 11:14-15, NASB)

No wonder the Bible is so adamant about not communicating with the dead. Ouija boards, séances, the occult and witchcraft are all tools that fallen angels, also known as demons, try and use to deceive you. And not just do they aim to deceive, but it’s not uncommon for these practices to lead to demon harassment and/or possession. Throughout the Bible are more than a few accounts of people tortured by evil spirits.

One of the most significant is Jesus’ encounter with a man who was possessed with a legion of demons. “And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.” (Mark 5:2-5, NKJV)

But God offers to anyone an alternative. 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Rather than continue to be filled with an unclean spirit, Jesus came to offer the tortured man the filling of the Holy Spirit. The story of the demon-possessed man has a happy ending. He no longer was crazed and naked, but “sitting and clothed and in his right mind.”

Many today are searching for that same power in their life; a loving being they trust that can tell them, no matter how crazy your present situation is, things will be ok in the future. Others are so disappointed and frustrated with life, they are yearning for supernatural intervention to help guide and navigate the mess of their past and present circumstances.

But the spirits of the dead won’t have the answers. “And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isaiah 8:19, NKJV).

There is a Being, who loves you, and says “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;  therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3).  He can see your future and He has the power to make a way to untangle every difficulty you are facing or hold together an unraveling situation. He says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Don’t try and contact anyone else – try and give God a call. “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:3, NKJV)

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