"There shall not be found
among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who
practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer,
or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer - witches and sorcerers. For whoever
does these things is an abomination to The Lord; and because of these
abominable practices. The Lord your God is driving them out before you."
-
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
The Bible introduces us to
three archangels who function in prominent roles in God’s Kingdom. Their deeds
are described in both Old and New Testaments. Michael’s dominion is
Israel (Daniel 12:1) and Gabriel
transports messages from God’s throne to His Saints (Daniel
8:16, 9:21, Luke 1:19,26). The third one is Lucifer, currently
known as Satan, who opposed God and led a rebellion of angels against God (Isaiah
14:12). The angels who joined him in
rejecting God’s authority all became fallen angels, called demons.
God did not create demons.
God created angels, as He did with mankind, giving us all a free will to choose
or to reject Him. God created Hell as a place of eternal damnation and torment for Satan,
his demons and all of humanity who refuse to surrender their lives to the
Salvation and Lordship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Every human being is destined to die once physically;
but there is a second death, a spiritual death in hell for eternity (Revelation
20:14). Eternity actually continues long after time ends (2
Corinthians 11:14-15).
God gave us Biblical truth
to provide us with a comprehensive portrait of the spiritual world existing
beyond our physical senses. It includes angels, both fallen and obedient. These
holy angels and evil demons interact with humanity on a regular basis. God gave
us the Bible to help us to discern the truth (John 16:13; 1
Thessalonians 5:4-6). Throughout the
Bible we read that there are indeed demonic and angelic spirit beings that
connect with and appear in our physical world (Hebrews 13:2).
According to scripture,
innumerable legions of angels exist. Some serve the Lord and aid God’s people
in advancing the Kingdom of God. Angels are Spirit-beings who are faithful in
serving God. Angels are honorable, righteous, and holy. They protect God’s
elect and minister to us in our time of need (Hebrews 1:14). Demons, fallen angels who rebelled against God, are
destructive, deceiving and devilish (James 2:19). Demons
oppose God’s will, facilitate Satan’s agenda, and work to prevent the Kingdom
of God from growing. Satan and his demons disguise themselves as angels of
light and servants of righteousness to deceive the unsuspecting (2
Corinthians 11:14-15; Matthew 24:24).
Demons only seek to “kill,
steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). Ghosts,
ghouls and poltergeist are definitely evil spirits. They will do anything
within their power to deceive honest people and to lead them away from God (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Demonic spirits appear in ghostly form as
deceased human beings. If the result is that people trust in a psychic instead
of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal the truth. Satan uses your
contact with these demons to delude and destroy you because you are opening up
your life to evil influences and satanic activity (Luke 11:24; Acts 19:11-17). It is extremely important for God's elect to be able
to discern between a holy or evil spiritual influence (1
Corinthians 2:11-16; 1 John 1:4).
Human beings are innately
aware of the spiritual world. Intense interest in the paranormal is
progressively more common in our society today. People who claim to be
“ghost-hunters,” will supposedly free your home of ghosts, for a fee. Psychics
and mediums tell grieving people that they have the power to connect them with
their deceased loved ones, for a fee. They use satanic power through astrology,
Druidic runes, Feng Shui, palmistry, I-ching, tea leaves, Ouija boards,
séances, tarot cards, relaxation techniques and crystal balls to connect our material
plane with what they consider the astral plane. Through satanic power, they tell a person intimate details that no one could
possibly know.
Everyone will face judgment
for our deeds on this earth. Jesus paid the debt for these evil deeds on
Calvary’s cross. However, only a few human beings are humble enough to realize
their need for a Savior and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The believer
in Jesus Christ ends up in heaven (Hebrews 9:27;
2 Corinthians 5:5-8; Philippians 1:23). All
unbelievers end up in hell (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24). There is no in-between. People either go to Heaven
or hell immediately when they die (2 Corinthians 5:8). So,
there is no possibility that the soul of a person can remain on the earth as a
ghost.
The Bible identifies these
ghostly beings as angels and demons, and negates the idea of the spirits of
deceased human beings remaining on earth and haunting us. According to the
Bible, if a person sees a ghost-like being, they are demonic or angelic (Luke
16:26-31; Luke 24: 39). There is one instance in the Bible where a dead
person made an appearance. God made it clear that He was no longer talking to King Saul
by any means (1 Samuel 15:22-29; 28:6). Therefore, Saul used a medium to contact the dead
prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:14-16, 20). The medium screamed when Samuel appeared, rather
than a demonic spirits (1 Samuel 28:12). God allowed this one appearance of the prophet in
order to allow Samuel to pronounce God’s judgment on Saul (1 Samuel
28:16-19).
Rather than seeking the will
of God for their lives, many people consult psychics. Daily horoscopes are
readily accessible online and in daily newspapers. Many bookstores sell tarot
cards to any aspiring fortuneteller. Psychics connect to the evil demons of
hell and use pertinent information to deceive people into believing they can
actually predict the future. What they fail to take into consideration is that
God has a plan and purpose for every life and God’s blessings trump any
arrangement the devil and his demons have for a person’s life. Reading the
Bible every day will give you more wisdom and insight into the future than any
horoscope, tarot card or fortuneteller.
Recommended
Resource: The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena – Ron
Rhodes
More about Angels:
Galatians
3:19; Mark 8:38; Psalms 148:1-2; Luke 1:13, 2:13-14; Daniel 6:22; Exodus 32:34; Numbers 22; 2 Samuel 24; Luke 1:11-13, 26-28; Acts 10:3-6, 27:23-24; Matthew 1:20, 2:13, 4:11, 14:26, 25:63, 28:2; 2 Kings 19