Christian Divination

Divination in the Bible

Christianity Oasis Ministry has provided this Christian Divination Bible study on divination in the Bible. We will look into that and all aspects of the Christian Walk. This SON-derful study will reveal truth bringing forth understanding and peace within.

Welcome to our Christianity Oasis End Times Bible study program. This is our Christian Divination Bible study looking at divination in the Bible and how the message within affects you today. This SON-sational Bible study will truly enLIGHTen your be-YOU-tiful Christian walk. Let's look into this together.

Christian Divination Bible Study

Divination in the Bible

What is Divination in the Bible

Some people find it interesting and even compelling to wander into the spiritual world and commune with spirits. Maybe your curiosity has been sparked by this part of the spiritual realm by something you saw on television or perhaps something you read in a book. Maybe you pass by Madame Conjuretta's fortune telling salon every day on your way to work and you wonder if it's all for real.

Prepare for the Bible Divination dangers ... Maybe your curiosity started way back when you were a kid and you were introduced to a Ouija board game, or other children (of the unsupervised nature) thought it was a cool thing to have a séance, inviting spirits to communicate with them.

Can people really communicate with spirits? Is it for real? Can people really talk to spirits or ghosts and get answers? This Christian Divination Bible study shares fascinating facts about divination in the Bible and the Bible makes it clear that Divination isn't a harmless little game ... It is for real. Spirits can indeed be conjured up, but don't forget, all spirits aren't good spirits, so this can be very dangerous Bible Divination pitfall for Christians.

Divination in the Bible Truth

First off, let's take a look at what the Bible says about this practice. What did God tell His chosen people about familiar spirits?

Leviticus 19:31

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 20:6

And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Leviticus 20:27

A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

¹⁰ There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
¹¹ Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
¹² For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

It sure doesn't sound like this Bible divination practice is something to be taken lightly or to be done "just for fun."

Christian Divination Bible Warning
Divination in the Bible Concerns

Let's look at the Webster's dictionary definition of the word divination:

Divination

The art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by means of augury (omens) or by the aid of supernatural powers.

Note the word "seeks" in this definition. It's very important that you understand that divination is quite a different thing from prophecy. A Prophet receives a divine message because God chooses to reveal it through them, but a diviner "seeks" to foretell events. There were some people in the Bible who were considered diviners, and their messages were in fact divinely inspired. Let me give you an example:

Genesis 44:15

And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

You'll find however, that most diviners in the Bible were false prophets who told lies, not divine visions sent by God. You can find evidence of this in the book of Ezekiel, Chapters 13 and 21.

Evil Practices Other than Divination in the Bible Warnings and Dangers

Let's look at more of these practices that the Lord frowns upon:

enchanter - to influence by charms and incantation - one who bewitches, thrills, enraptures, attracts - sorcerer
charmer - enchanter, magician, one that fascinates
wizard - having magical influence or power
necromancy - conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events - magic - sorcery
witch - wizard, sorcerer, one supposed to possess supernatural powers especially by covenant with the devil or a familiar
familiar - a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person
familiar spirit - a spirit or demon that serves or prompts an individual - the spirit of a dead person invoked by a medium (go between) to advise or prophecy
sorcerer - one who uses power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining
magician - having seemingly supernatural qualities or powers
soothsaying - the act of foretelling events - prediction

Christian Divination Bible study on divination in the Bible tidbit of truth ... If you're a Christian and you think that God is sending messages through you by means of divining, familiar spirits, necromancy or other forms, it's vital that you're 100% sure that the messages you receive and share are truly divinely inspired ... in other words ... the only source that you want to prophesy from is the Spirit of Truth. That isn't to say that nobody possesses the gift of prophecy, but you'd be hard pressed to find anything in the Bible that says that God will send His Word to us through enchanters, charmers, wizards, sorcerers, witches, magicians, familiar spirits, palm or tea leaf readers, or anything of the sort. Neither does the Bible encourage us to commune with the dead.

Peter explained that they didn't believe made up stories and relay them to us about the power and return of Jesus, but saw it with their own eyes, and no prophecy is secretly told to anyone. Even in the old days, true prophecy isn't what man makes up, but was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:16-21

¹⁶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
¹⁸ And this voice which came from Heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount.
¹⁹ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
²⁰ Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
²¹ For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The last thing anyone wants to do is quench the Holy Spirit, but friends, it can't be stressed enough that it is positively the Holy Spirit whose message it is you are delivering.

Back in Moses time, the 'wise men' of Egypt with their 'supposed' supernatural powers, were in contention with God and His will.

Exodus 7:10-11

¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

And that's not all ... they also turned water into blood and brought frogs upon the land. One would think that such things could only be done with divine intervention ... especially in those days. And that's probably the impression these 'wise men' wanted the people to get. But soon they couldn't imitate the power of God, and the Truth was revealed.

2 Timothy 3:8-9

⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the Truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the Faith.
⁹ But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.

Christian Divination Bible Mystery
Divination in the Bible Danger

Friend, the last thing you want to do, is challenge God by any means.

But you have good intentions? Good intentions are NOT a substitute for Truth. If you're messing around with spiritual matters that God didn't intend for you, it could be detrimental to your soul, and other souls that you introduce your interest to. Prophecy is a gift from God, not something to experiment with.

I'd like to share with you, a little story about king Saul. It seems that disobeying God's Word about totally destroying the Amalekites was not the only offense that God took to heart when He took Saul's anointing away. That wasn't the only consequence Saul suffered because of his sin either ... God even took his life on account of it. We'll discuss a few different things, following this selection.

1 Samuel 28:3-20

³ Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
⁴ And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
⁵ And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
⁶ And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by Prophets.
⁷ Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
⁸ And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
⁹ And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
¹⁰ And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
¹¹ Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
¹² And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
¹³ And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the Earth.
¹⁴ And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh 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 himself.
¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
¹⁶ Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
¹⁷ And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David:
¹⁸ Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.
¹⁹ Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
²⁰ Then Saul fell straightway all along on the Earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

There are several things that we can learn from this story. First of all, where was Samuel? In Divination. So ... believers that are deceased and whose souls are in Divination can be communicated with after they're dead. But notice what Samuel said, Why have you disquieted me, to bring me up? In other words, Why are you bothering me, I'm supposed to be resting in peace! Apparently, God turned His face away from Saul and wouldn't speak to him through dreams or Prophets or Urim and Thummim. Perhaps God was also testing Saul to see if he would further disobey him by seeking counsel elsewhere (if so, Saul failed the test). Saul himself prohibited people from consulting with familiar spirits and divination because he knew it was against God. The next scripture explains the outcome of Saul's actions.

1 Chronicles 10:13-14

¹³ So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the Word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
¹⁴ And inquired not of the Lord: therefore He slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

Don't be deceived into thinking that fortune tellers, palm readers, readers of tea leaves, etc., are just recreational and harmless. God doesn't take things like this lightly. When you participate in such activity, you're saying that you trust in another's word before you trust in God's Word. If there's something you want to know ... Ask Him.

Even though the spirit of Samuel was of course, a good spirit, that doesn't make it acceptable to 'bring him up.' What do you think happens when people experiment with bringing up spirits? What happens if you end up with a spirit that you didn't invite ... Quite possibly an evil spirit, just waiting for the perfect chance to introduce themselves to anyone? Eventually, are they able to "possess" a person?

You cannot be possessed by a spirit unless you allow them to possess you. That doesn't mean you give them a verbal or written contract saying you allow them to take control of your mind, body, or spirit, but just an accepting attitude, apathy, negligence of your Faith ... These kind of things are invitations to evil spirits, allowing them access to you.

You may have thought it strange a few minutes ago when you read about the 'familiar' that possesses animals. The same spirit(s) can go from people to animals.

Luke 8:26-33

²⁶ And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
²⁷ And when He went forth to land, there met Him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
²⁹ (For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
³⁰ And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
³¹ And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep.
³² And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought Him that He would suffer them to enter into them. And He suffered them.
³³ Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.

Christian Divination Bible Prophecy
Divination in the Bible Fears

Again, I'd like to stress that in one way or another, this man allowed these devils to possess him. In addition, more than one spirit can possess a single person.

Matthew 12:43-45

⁴³ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
⁴⁴ Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
⁴⁵ Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Let's go back to the Old Testament for just a moment. King Manasseh dabbled in the spirit realm and it made God very angry ...

2 Kings 21:6

And he [Manasseh] made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.

... It made God so angry in fact that when Josiah became king and did away with all the things that Manasseh practiced, it still didn't calm the Lord's anger:

2 Kings 23:24-26

²⁴ Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.
²⁵ And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
²⁶ Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked Him withal.

Sooooooo, is it for real? Can people really communicate with spirits? Absolutely. Those spirits can even speak through people, to others without being summoned by them. This happened to Paul while he was in Macedonia.

Acts 16:16-18

¹⁶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
¹⁷ The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of Salvation.
¹⁸ And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

How did Paul know that this woman wasn't prophesying? The obvious reason is because the Lord taught not to accept money for the Word of God.

Matthew 10:7-8

⁷ And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Jesus spoke to the devil (which is a spirit) while He was in the wilderness being tempted for 40 days and nights ... But that was Jesus. Evil spirits are afraid of Him. It's quite a different matter for ordinary people to communicate with evil spirits. What's more, Jesus taught us to pray 'deliver us from evil' not to invite it for competition.

Another instance where Jesus spoke to spirits was during the transfiguration. This is the same event that we read about earlier from the second letter of Peter.

Matthew 17:1-5

¹ And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
² And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light.
³ And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him.
⁴ Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
⁵ While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.

There were also the times when Jesus (the Holy Spirit) spoke to Saul (Paul).

Acts 9:3-6

³ And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from Heaven:
⁴ And he fell to the Earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
⁵ And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
⁶ And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Don't forget when the Holy Spirit spoke to Peter in Joppa:

Acts 10:9-13

⁹ On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
¹⁰ And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
¹¹ And saw Heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the Earth:
¹² Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the Earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
¹³ And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

Christian Divination Bible Summary
What is Divination in the Bible Conclusion

I bring these examples to your attention because the Truth is that spirits can certainly be communicated with, but the Holy Spirit is the only one that you want to have anything to do with.

One thing to beware of is what spirit the leaders of the world are communing with. Our Almighty God is not the god that Antichrist will honor ... Because he thinks he is God.

Daniel 11:37-39

³⁷ Neither shall he regard the god of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
³⁸ But in his estate shall he honour the god of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
³⁹ Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

This is a good time to really think about what we teach our children concerning this. There are some movies and television shows that try and mimic the power of God, without coming out and giving God the credit. As responsible Christians, it's our duty to teach our children that Power Rangers do not get their power from God. Some people believe that they get power from themselves ... That they are their own source of power. There are even religions that teach this. Be alert.

Jeremiah 10:23

O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Any power that we have, we are not capable of creating or achieving by ourselves. Power comes from One Spirit and One Spirit only ... The Holy Spirit!

The only good "force" that can be with you is the power of the Holy Spirit, anything else is an imposter. If there is a good similitude in a story to the righteousness that the Bible teaches, it's a good idea to reveal the Truth to our children instead of allowing them to believe that spiritual power comes from any other source than God Himself. The "force" or power that any person may ever obtain is not some unnamed thing that can't be explained. It is the Holy Spirit. That's not to say that it's no good to let kids watch things that promote good lessons, but for them to miss the lessons and the reality of things is a shame. Does your child know what the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe each represent or are they just characters that they read about or saw in a movie? Will they put it all together without your help, that sacrifice is the life giving element in the story ... and how does it apply to their life today ... who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have life ... Everlasting?

If you're interested in communing with a spirit ... Make the right choice and call on the Holy Spirit of God!

Our Christian Divination Bible study on divination in the Bible reveals the serious dangers of divination. Beware attempting divination in your Christian walk.