MEDIUMS, PSYCHICS, AND NECROMANTICERS! Oh my!
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers,
whoring after them,
I will set my face against that person
and will cut him off from among his people.”
~ Leviticus 20:6 (NIV)
There are forces in the world that lure us into practicing what the Lord says is dark. Have you ever thought fortune telling or Ouija boards were simple innocent fun? Let’s take a deeper look into this world of mediums, psychics, and necromancers.
Mediums are those who mediate communication between spirits of the dead and the living. This is done through the use of diverse types of channeling like: séance tables, trances, readings, tarot cards, and Ouija boards.
Psychics are people who use powers to identify information communicated by telepathy or clairvoyance not normally known. They may use astrology, numerology, crystals, auras, and a wide range of supernatural ‘tools’.
Necromancers are known as practicing wizards or magicians. If you take the word apart, mancers means a combination of intimacy, passion, and commitment; and Necro is the word for corpse or death. They claim to communicate with the dead, spirits, and apparitions for the purpose of divination such as foretelling the future and claiming they have hidden knowledge. It’s often associated with black magic and witchcraft that calls on the spirits of ghosts. They address the dead in a “mixture of high pitch squeaking and low droning” and trances.
These three practices found their origins in Persia (the Hermeticists) or star gazers and in Babylonia. Their ritualistic celebrations often occur around a fire pit at night including the blood of sacrificial animals to which they create a cocktail for the ghosts to drink while they recite prayers to the ghosts and the gods of the underworld. They practice things of death such as wearing the dead persons clothes, eating decayed food, and at times go as far as to mutilate and eat corpses.
Bone-conjurers were outlawed and explicitly warned against among the Jews. The Israelites were sternly admonished against engaging in the Canaanite practice. The book of Leviticus warns that anyone practicing such evil would be given the death penalty. Leviticus 20:27 (NIV)
“I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.” ~Leviticus 20:6 (NIV)
“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 (NIV)
“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. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God.”
~ Deuteronomy 18:10-13
“When someone tells 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 (NIV)
What happens if you dabble in necromancer, divination, or supernatural?
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” ~ Revelation 21:8 (NIV)
“But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death. You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”~ Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (NIV)
God defines witchcraft and sorcery in more ways than we’re used to hearing:
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” ~Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)
“False Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” ~ Matthew 24:24 (NIV)
So, what do you do? How do you know who is evil and who is not?
“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. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” ~1John 4:1-3 (NIV)
“Be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” ~ 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the demon, you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” 1 Corinthians 10:21 (NIV)
What kinds of things are you partaking of that isn’t of God? ________________________________________________________________________
