Witchcraft, Necromancy and the Occult

Any discussion of the afterlife eventually brings up the topic of ghosts and the souls of our 'dearly departed' ancestors.  Does the Bible address whether ghosts are real?  What does Scripture say about communicating with the dead?

Saul and the Medium at Endor

1 Samuel 28:3-20 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her. “There is one in Endor,” they said.

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

Then the woman asked, “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!”

The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure[a] coming up out of the earth.”

“What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

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.  HCSB

The disciples believed ghosts exist and feared them.

Matthew 14:26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  HCSB

Jesus even mentions ghosts as not having substance.

Luke 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”  HCSB

Is there any physical evidence of ghosts?

Psychiatrist and author Paul Meier tells the story of a 5-year-old girl. As her father was being carried away to an ambulance after a heart attack, he promised "Don't worry dear; I'll be back." The girl later reported that the ghost of her father came back each night to tuck her into bed.

Meier claims that after intensive therapy and tranquilizers the "ghost" disappeared. He also points out that "voices" always disappear when anti-psychotic medication is prescribed. "Deceased 'spirits' must really hate that stuff!" he adds.

The psychiatrist believes that virtually all "ghosts" are auditory or visual hallucinations. "About 3 percent of the American population is psychotic or borderline psychotic at any one time. Many of these persons really believe they communicate with the dead, 'hearing' voices of deceased loved ones as clearly as if they were audible."

Can Christians believe in ghosts?

Some claim the Bible teaches the existence of ghosts. After all, Scripture uses the word seven times!  However the word "ghost" in the King James Version is actually a mistranslation.   In the Old Testament Hebrew, nephesh should be translated breath, as in "breath of life." In New Testament Greek, pneuma ought to be translated "breath" or "spirit."  So, there isn't even a "Holy Ghost," but a hagios pneumos or "Holy Spirit."

The Bible also points out in Luke 16:26 that no one can return to the earth from the dead: ". . . a great chasm has been fixed, so no one can cross over from there to us."

How can you see ghosts?

Various "proofs" for the existence of ghosts have been offered such as "ghost photography" (which, in virtually every case, has turned out to be film defects or deliberate double exposures) and "ghost recordings" (muffled, distorted recordings which only the person doing to recording can seem to understand). Again, every "proof" has been explained away as innocent or deliberate fraud.

If ghost stories are just stories, why do people make them up?  Ghost stories seem to fall into four categories:

1. Actual unusual events that become exaggerated in the re-telling (e.g., vampires and werewolves).

2. Events that are made up for fame or financial gain (e.g., The Amityville Horror and ghost photos).

3. Events that seem very real to the people, but can be explained away by extreme grief over the deceased person or by chemical imbalances in their brains.

4. Finally, it's possible that the phenomenon is demonic rather than ghostly.

What does the Bible say about necromancy?

Occult Practices - including casting spells, speaking with the 'dead', omens, rituals and sacrifices not prescribed by God.

Deuteronomy 18:9-11 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 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  HCSB

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king  HCSB

We are told in Revelation 21:8 that sorcerers shall have their part in the "lake which burns with fire and brimstone."

The original Greek word for sorcerer is pharmakeus which means "an enchanter with drugs."  This, in turn, comes from the word pharmakeia from which we get our modern English word pharmacy. The word in its original Greek means the occult, sorcery, witchcraft, illicit pharmaceuticals, trance, and magical incantation with drugs

Why do you think God condemns any form of witchcraft, spell casting, necromancy or sorcery?

The first reason may simply be that speaking to the dead or acquiring power over nature through supernatural means is necessarily a hoax. Witchcraft is consulting with demonic forces and opening the doors to deceit and sin.

The second reason is that purpose of any one of these forbidden practices is to seek knowledge over and above that which is allowed by God, whether it be to foretell the future -- to exert power over others or to control events that belong to God. In short the purpose of seeking the power believed to come from the occult regardless of ones intentions, is to be like God. Yet, our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).

Where does the power of witchcraft originate?

Are spells and potions real? - to the extent the demonic world participates to deceive or control its victims. The power of magic can be real, but it is entirely demonic.

There is no such thing as “white” or “black” magic. Any magic is a suspension of God's laws of physics, mental manipulation or deception or some form of fraud. The intention of the user is not relevant since the only power source is from evil spirits.

Can miracles be performed by Christians?

Yes, many believe this is still available to the church, but it is entirely in God's sovereign Will and not “subject to” or “under the control” of the believer – therefore it is not like magical spells or powers because they are not under the influence or control of the 'practitioner'.

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Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson