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The
Occult
On this page I'll examine the occult and explain why it is wrong for any follower of God to be involved with it.
I have cited scripture references from the Bible to support each idea
presented.
“The occult” is a broad term that encompasses
people's attempts to gain power or knowledge from evil sources.
People are often snagged by seemingly harmless curiosities that give place
to evil in their lives.
An explanation of the occult: "Somewhere in every one of us is a deep longing to
make contact with the unknown, with some "higher power" -
something greater or wiser or more powerful than ourselves. This is true
at all levels, from the teenage girl reading her horoscope, to the witch doctor
in some remote tribe who has never seen a white man, to the scientist probing
outer space and seeking to discover the secrets of the universe. It was
God who placed this longing within us, but His archenemy, Satan, has devised a
way to divert seekers into deceptive, evil systems that bring them into
bondage to himself. These deceptive systems can take countless different
forms, but the generic name for them all is "the
occult." ...The word occult is derived from a Latin word that
means "concealed" or "covered over." The power
operating through occult practices or system derives from Satan and is evil.
But most people caught up in them do not know this. They have been enticed
by labels or claims that make them appear highly desirable." (They
Shall Expel Demons, p.113-114, by Derek Prince)
What is “of the occult”?
Determining what is of the occult can be tricky, as the occult by nature
is hidden and deceptive. To
begin, please consider some definitions of
"Occult" from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary:
- "Not
revealed; secret"
- "Not
easily apprehended or understood"
- "Matters
regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal
powers or some secret knowledge of them" (American Heritage
Dictionary)
In general, if an activity or object is used to
seek knowledge or power from
sources other than God, then it most likely is of the occult.
I
have found three main categories of the occult, which I will explain below in
detail.
1. Seeking
carnal knowledge / sins of the flesh and eyes:
includes all forms of sex sin, including pornography
- Adultery:
Sex outside of one's marriage (Galatians
5:19; Hebrews 13:4)
- Bestiality:
Sex with animals (Exodus
22:19, Leviticus 18:23)
- Coveting:
To desire what belongs to another (Exodus
20:17; Matthew 5:28)
- Fornication:
Sex between two unmarried persons (1
Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19; Hebrews 13:4;
Colossians 3:5)
- Homosexuality:
Sex with member of same sex (1
Corinthians 6:9; Leviticus 20:13, Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-32)
- Incest:
Sex between family members (Leviticus
18:6,7,10,22)
- Lust:
Intense and unbridled sexual
desire, often for something forbidden (Matthew
5:28; Romans
6:12-14; 1
Thessalonians 4:3-8; 1
Peter 2:11)
- Rape:
Sex forced against the will (Deuteronomy
22:24-25, 2 Samuel 13:12-22)
- Sexual immorality in general
(1
Corinthians 6:13,18-20; Galatians
5:16-21; 1
Thessalonians 4:3-8)
- Voyeurism/viewing pornography: Obtaining
sexual gratification from seeing sex organs and sexual acts; habitually
seeking sexual stimulation by visual means (Ezekiel
23:14-16,19-21; Habakkuk
2:14-16; Genesis 9:21-25)
2.
Seeking knowledge of the future:
- Astrology: foretelling the future
using the influence and position of the stars and planets. A common example of modern day astrology is the horoscope.
A horoscope is a diagram of the relative positions of planets and
signs of the zodiac at a specific time. Astrologers
use this to infer individual character and personality traits and to
foretell events in a person's life (astrological forecast)
(2
Kings 23:1-25; Isaiah
47:10-15).
- Divination: the art or practice that
seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge
(Leviticus
19:26; Deuteronomy
18:9-16; 2
Kings 17:17; 2
Kings 21:6). Examples of
divination devices/activities include seer stones, tarot cards, reading tea
leaves, eight balls, water witching, water dousing, Ouija boards, table
tipping, palmistry and
automatic writing.
-
Interpreting
omens: An omen is an occurrence or phenomenon believed to portend a
future event. (Deuteronomy
18:9-16)
-
Necromancy: Necromancy
attempts to reveal the future by communicating with the dead and/or familiar
spirits. A séance is a
meeting where people attempt to communicate with the dead.
Mediums
attempt to communicate with familiar spirits (evil spirits) and spirits of
the dead. (Deuteronomy
18:9-16; 1
Chronicles 10:13-14; 1
Samuel 28:7-11)
-
Soothsaying:
act of foretelling events (Leviticus
19:26)
-
Visiting
fortunetellers: typical examples include palm readers (palmistry) and
psychics (Isaiah
65:11; Acts
16:16; Micah
5:12)
-
Visiting
mediums/psychics/spiritists: persons supposedly having access to
supernatural agencies and knowledge or power derived from them (Deuteronomy
18:9-16; Leviticus
19:31; Leviticus
20:6; 2
Kings 21:6; 2
Kings 23:1-25; 1
Chronicles 10:13-14; Isaiah
8:19-22)
3. Seeking
supernatural power:
-
Charm:
the chanting or reciting of a magic spell; an act or expression
believed to have magic power; something worn about the person to ward off
evil or ensure good fortune (amulets, talismans, hex
signs, etc.) (Isaiah
3:16-24; Isaiah
47:9-15; Ezekiel
13:18-23)
- Curse: a prayer or invocation for harm or
injury to come upon a person; to call upon divine or supernatural power to
send injury upon (Exodus
21:17; Exodus 22:28; Leviticus 19:14; Ezekiel
13:17-23; Romans
12:14)
- Enchant: to use magic words or charms to
place (another) under a spell. A spell (or incantation) is a
spoken word or form of words held to have magic power; a strong compelling
influence or attraction. (Isaiah
47:9-15; Ezekiel
13:17-23)
- Idolatry:
any person, place or thing that comes before God in your life. There are many forms of idolatry
and it’s possible to argue that every occult activity is a form of
idolatry. The Bible has many
references to idolatry that identify it as sin (Exodus
20:3-6). Some specific
examples include worshiping demons/angels (Deuteronomy
32:16-17; Leviticus
17:7; 2
Kings 23:1-25; Psalm
106:37; 1
Corinthians 10:20-22; Revelation
9:20-21),
worshiping celestial bodies (2
Kings 21:3,7; 2
Kings 23:1-25; Ezekiel
8:16)
and consulting household idols (Genesis
31:19,30,34; Genesis 35:2; Judges 17:5; 1 Samuel 19:13).
- Seeking or using familiar spirits:
A familiar spirit is believed to attend, serve or guard a person.
Familiar spirits can be sought for information, protection and
guidance. They can be “passed
down” from the person’s ancestry. Familiar
spirits are demonic, although not all exhibit markedly evil behavior. (Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:11; 2
Kings 21:6; 1 Chronicles 10:13; 2 Chronicles 33:6; 1
Samuel 28:3-23)
- Magic: The
use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural
power over natural forces; magic rites or incantations; an extraordinary
power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source; something that
seems to cast a spell (Isaiah
47:9-15; Ezekiel
13:17-23; Acts
8:9-24; Acts
19:19-20; Revelation
9:20-21; Revelation
18:23; Revelation
21:8; Revelation
22:15)
- Sorcery: The use of power gained
from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining; A wizard
is a sorcerer - one possessing magical influence. (Exodus
22:18; Deuteronomy
18:9-16; Leviticus
19:26; Isaiah
47:9-15; 2
Kings 17:17; 2
Kings 21:6; Malachi
3:5; Micah
5:12; Galatians
5:19-21; Acts
8:9-24; Acts
13:4-12)
- Talisman:
A talisman is an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and
bring good fortune. Examples of
talismans include healing crystals, rabbit’s foot, Indian dream-catchers,
good luck charms, and hex signs. Household
idols in the Bible are possibly examples of talismans.
(Genesis
35:2; Judges 17:5; 1 Samuel 19:13; Hosea 3:4).
-
Witchcraft: The
use of sorcery, magic, or communication with spirits to influence persons
and/or events. A witch/warlock
is one thought to have supernatural powers through contact with Satan; one
credited with usually malignant supernatural powers (Deuteronomy
18:9-16; 1
Samuel 15:22-23; Ezekiel
13:17-23; Galatians
5:19-21; Acts
19:19-20)
How
the occult works:
The occult appeals to our natural tendency toward pride of life (1
John 2:16). Pride of life is
revealed when we set aside God’s commands and seek knowledge or power to
master our own destiny and control our environment according to our desires.
This is a type of rebellion (1
Samuel 15:22-23). Eve
demonstrated this rebellion in Genesis
3:5-6 when she sought knowledge that would cause her to be like God.
Why
occult activity is wrong
- It seeks and uses an evil power source: Occult
power originates from Satan, his angels or the souls or spirits of
people who participate.
Satan and his angels are fallen spiritual beings who have used their God-given powers to foster rebellion against
God. The scriptures
state that only God has all knowledge and he alone is more powerful than any
other being (Psalm
139:1-6,16-18; Philippians
2:9-11; Isaiah
14:27; Psalm
2; 1
Chronicles 16:26; Psalm
96). If we believe
the scriptures, then we have no reason to look for knowledge or power from any
other source but God. As soon
as we seek it outside of God, we sin by placing our faith in something other
than God. Romans 14:23 NIV
says, “Everything that does not come from faith [in God] is sin.”
- It gives us a means to sin by pride of life:
The occult appeals to our natural desire for power and knowledge.
We usually want to be in control of the situations we are in and/or
be able to influence the outcome so that we will benefit.
Our sinful nature is to attempt to work things out on our own without
submitting ourselves to the authority of God or depending on God for our
provision. John identified this
as the “pride of life” sin in 1
John 2:16. The occult
offers a variety of means by which we may be deceived into thinking that we
can be in control. The truth is
that we are not in control. By giving heed to the occult, we give evil
control over us. (see more
about pride)
- God commands us not to be involved in the
occult: He commands us to
be separate from the occult so that we can be his people (Leviticus
20:24-26) without distraction. Seeking
occult power/knowledge is essentially soliciting the help of demons or false
gods. This disobeys God’s
command “You shall have no other gods before Me” in Exodus 20:3 NASB.
God has told us to seek him for everything in life.
Jesus explained, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength" (Matthew 22:37 NASB). This
leaves no room for other “gods.” Part
of God’s nature is that he desires people’s full devotion and attention
– he is a “jealous” God and a “consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
A note about false religions: Involvement
in a non-Christian religion can be regarded as occult activity for many of the
above reasons. Jesus said that he is the only way for people to attain
peace with God: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6
KJV). Any religion that rejects Jesus' claim and/or teaches another way to
peace with God will be a "false" religion. Consider the test that John
wrote about for detecting false teaching/false religions:
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets
have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you
have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
1 John 4:1-3 NKJV
Additional references to consider on false
teaching/religions:
Ezekiel 13:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13,1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Peter 2:1
Consequences of occult activity:
Occult activity has a variety of consequences.
These may include:
Repenting from occult sin: If you have
been involved in occult sin, it is important for you to take these actions in
returning to God:
For
prayers covering the above repentance points, see
Prayers for Renouncing the
Occult
Home
Inventory Your Occult
Involvement
Watchman's Index
of Cults and Religions
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