I was asked something along these lines in an email, and since it’s THAT time of year… hey why not talk a little about the spiritual realm?

*organ music*

Of course, the Bible doesn’t spend much time explaining demons or spirits and doesn’t even come close to the ghosts and goblins we talk about during Halloween, but there’s always something a little scarier about Bible for most of us. I’m not sure what it could be, hmmm…… maybe, because the Bible has more than a hint of the real thing?

*cue lightning flash and thunder*

Yeah. I know the majority of Americans these days don’t believe in a literal devil, despite the fact they tend to believe in a literal God. In the Bible however, Satan, fallen angels, and demons are very real. As real as you and me.

So what’s actually in there? Well if you go HERE, you’ll find several very indepth Bible Studies on such things, a lot more than I will cover in this post. Nevertheless, I thought it would be fun to scratch the surface just a bit and see if anything slithers out….

For one thing, and I’m sorry if this disappoints you, the Bible never says anything about ghosts walking around with unfinished business, or haunting houses, etc… All the usual Halloween stuff. No, the Bible only mentions demons haunting PEOPLE.

I’m sure you feel much better already.

Although it doesn’t go into great detail, the Bible does spend some time speaking about demons, spirits, and has a story in the Old Testament that might surprise you. Let’s start there. In the account, a “seer” brings the prophet Samuel back from the dead so King Saul can speak to him one more time.

Or so it appears.

It was against the law -punishable by death- for a seer to practice witchcraft in Israel and speak to the dead. Since the King himself wanted to break the law, he hid his identity when he went to the seer. Not only did he do this to keep himself out of trouble, but also because no seer would dare tell the King they would be willing to practice witchcraft. He could have them killed for such an admission. No, King Saul had to keep his identity a secret for himself, and so the seer wouldn’t back out. So he found the seer, she agreed, and by the time she found out, well it didn’t matter. The Bible says…

Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.”
-I Samuel 28:11-13

The word for “spirit” there is the same Hebrew word used for God in the Old Testament, also means angels, gods, judges, etc… Keep in mind though, it was merely the word she used to describe what she was seeing. Maybe Samuel looked all shiny and cool? Anyway, no one knows why she suddenly realized who Saul was when she saw Samuel. Perhaps Samuel bowed to the King? Perhaps she thought he was talking of a different Samuel? If so, when she saw the former spiritual leader of Israel come up from the grave, in wouldn’t be hard to put 2 and 2 together and realize the disguised man who had hired her was in fact King Saul. Presidents and Kings tend to be famous as well as the people they hang around with. Of course, perhaps she divined it by spiritual means? No way to really know.

So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down. -I Samuel 28:14

Interesting details. She could see his features while Saul could not. Evidently it was possible, at least in this case, for someone to be able to “see” a person who had been dead, while others couldn’t. When it says, “Saul perceived” it literally means “could tell.” By her description, by something else? We are only given the fact that she described Samuel and Saul could tell it was him. And he bowed down.

Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” -I Samuel 28:15

We are not told how Samuel spoke or if he became visible to Saul. We are not told if Samuel spoke through the seer. In fact, some Christians, even scholars, believe that this really wasn’t Samuel. That, as John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says:

“his soul was at rest in Abraham’s bosom, in the state of bliss and happiness in heaven, and it was not in the power of men and devils to disquiet it; nor would he have talked of his being brought up, but rather of his coming down, had it been really he; much less would he have acknowledged that he was brought up by Saul, by means of a witch, and through the help of the devil:”

For me, I tend to take it at face value and accept that was indeed Samuel. In this case, I believe God allowed Samuel to go back to speak with Saul. God also allowed Jesus to hang out with a couple of dead guys (Elijah & Moses) on the Mount of Transfiguration, too. Mark 9:2-4

Some of you are already thinking about John Edwards, the medium or whatever he calls himself who claims to speak -or more accurately- sense and listen to the dead and convey those senses and feelings (what John thinks they are trying to say) to those who are living. He’s been on Fox News, has is own television show, and has become quite popular.

It’s easy to dismiss guys like John as completely fake, but are they? Evidently, this seer in Israel could see into the spiritual realm. So what about John and all the mediums like him?

Well, it WAS outlawed by God in the Bible:

Leveticus 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.

Leveticus 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.

Lev 20:27 ‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’ ”

And secondly, the reason seems to be because of the ease at which people can be deceived.

After all, if John Edwards is sensing spiritual beings…

How does he know they are telling him the truth???

*frightening, ominous background music*

I’m serious, though. More on that in a minute.

Back to Saul: It’s important to also note that Samuel’s spirit wasn’t roaming around or haunting a house, or on the earth because of unfinished business, or just wandering around for no reason. He was called up and he came, answered some questions, chewed out King Saul again, and went back.

The Bible talks in great detail about spirits that do cause lots of trouble -demons, but it never really tells what they are, where they came from and they don’t really do anything as innocent as haunting a house. No, they’re more into coming after people. Click on these for a quick look: Matthew 8:28-31, Matthew 9:32, Matthew 12:22, Matthew 17:15-20; Mark 9:17, Mark 9:25; Luke 11:14-26, Luke 13:11, Acts 10:38, 1 Timothy 4:1, plus many other Bible passages.

The problem that you run into is trying to define what a demon is. Traditionally, I’ve been taught that demons are fallen angels under Satan’s command and for sure, there are such angels. Revelation 12:9 says so for one, and Daniel 10:12-13, Daniel 12:1 and Revelation 12:7-8 seems to indicate not only do such angels exist, but they struggle sometimes against heavenly angels.

But do fallen angels = demons? Because if they do, it seems weird that Jesus would say this about angels:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” –Mark 12:43-45

Or why would angels need bodies of some sort, like this:

When Jesus had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” -Matt 8.28-31

So in these verses, it is clear that demons which ARE evil spirits of some type, do not find rest and desire to be in a “body” -even if it’s a pig!

That has led some people to speculate (and speculation is all that it is) that demons are actually those who died in their sins. The book of Revelation, however, seems to shoot that down:

Rev 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

The inference being that the resting places of the dead, keep the dead, they don’t come back, roam around and cause trouble. Trouble however, IS caused by demons. And notice what type of trouble it is…

1Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

1Corinthians 10:19-21 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

So demons deceive. They lead people astray to false religions, to false beliefs. They are in opposition to God and according to Jesus are in league with Satan himself. When accused of using the power of Satan to cast out demons, Jesus replied with this:

Luke 11:18 “If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub.

Demons, apparently are actual spiritual beings, fallen and separated from God, who seem to have a separate class -an inferior one- to that of angels. Or perhaps they once were angels but have been judged and reduced to what they are by God?

Speaking of God, the Bible says:

Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. -Psalms 104:4

What they once were, before being corrupted by sin, is something we can only guess at, but undoubtedly they (at the very least) did follow Satan’s deception. And they are under Satan’s command. And they deceive.

Which is what I think John Edwards should consider.

When someone claims to speak to ghosts, the dead, etc… I look at verses like I Timothy 4:1, Revelation 16:13-14, and I Corinthians 10:19-21 and I believe they are being deceived by evil spirits and demons as spoken of by the Bible.

After all, how does John or anyone else KNOW a spirit is telling the truth? Yes, yes they know personal details and the same feeling of love or tenderness comes over their loved one or whatever…

Typically when God outlawed something in the Bible, there was a very good practical reason. He outlawed adultery because it destroys marriages. He made certain rules for clothing because he wanted the Jews to be a witness to the rest of the world, and God used everything about them, from their clothing to their behavior etc… Many of the things the Israelites would wear represented something about God or about God’s relationship with them.

In short, there were reasons!

Why the prohibition against mediums? Think about it. What would be the danger? Well for starters, how-do-you-know what you’re feeling and what you’re seeing and what you’re hearing… isn’t another deception?

2Co 11:14-15 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

I met a man, the speaker at a week-long church camp, who had been into witchcraft for 32 years. At one time in his life, he had claimed he could control 400 demons. When we had a moment, I asked him if he really did control that many demons? It’s been years ago, but I’ll never forget what he told me. I may not remember exactly word for word, but I do remember the gist. He said:

“Oh, I don’t know. It could have been the same demon just giving me a different name every time. It’s not like they won’t lie.”