Can The Living Talk With The Dead?

"Reach out in the darkness, and you might find a friend." That's what the old song says to do. And that's what millions of people are trying to do. They're reaching into the darkness of the supernatural realm hoping to speak to a loved one who has died.

This morning I want to say a few things about the TV program called "Crossing Over" and its host, John Edward. It airs five time a week on the SciFi channel (Channel 59 in the Seattle area). It is seen Sunday thru Thursday at 11 p.m.

First of all, I want to make you aware that the term "crossing over" is the most common phrase used among psychics for "connecting with the dead."

If you were to get on the internet and use Google as your search engine, and search for "crossing over," you would see 1,340,000 sites. Not every web-site that uses that phrase is about psychics, and very few refer to John Edward. For instance, the term "crossing over" is also used in the study of genetic reconstruction.

Human beings are spiritual creatures. God created us that way. We hunger for an encounter with the spiritual. We seem to know instinctively that there is more to this life than what we are able to experience with our 5 physical senses. Implanted in all of us is a desire to understand the ultimate meaning in things. We want to know that the daily grind isn't really "all there is" to our experience.

What John Edward does on the TV program CROSSING OVER, is called, in the Psychic business, "Cold Reading." I don't know if this is brought out in any of his TV programs, but he does identify himself as a "Psychic." From what the Bible says, that alone should tell us to stay clear.

We'll say more about the biblical position in a few minutes, but, at the beginning, I want you to hear what critics are saying. I don't know if these critics are Christian or not - I would surmise that most are not.

First of all, where do I get the idea that he is a psychic. Here are the titles of some of the book he has written.

o Understanding Your Angel and Meeting Your Guide."
o Unleashing Your Psychic Potential
o One Last Time

This last book seems to have an innocuous title. But it's the only book of his that I have seen that has a subtitle on its cover. The subtitle is: "A Psychic Medium Speaks to Those Who Have Loved and Lost."

As to his show, I hope you understand that none of his TV programs are live. By that I mean they are not live at the time you see them. The programs are recorded before a live audience, but much in advance of the time they are aired.

Only a small fraction of each studio recording session actually makes its way into the half-hour program. That means there is an enormous amount of editing that goes on prior to the broadcast which allows for him to look more credible than he really might be.

He and his supporters claim a 65-70% "hit" rate. A "hit" means a person in the audience identifies with a statement Edward makes. Critics of Edward, however, say his hit rate is closer to 10-15%, and most are edited out.

We have heard of some skeptics, who were sent by "Dateline" or "20-20" to do a story on Edward. Some of them say they were very skeptical going in, but not so skeptical when leaving. What we don't hear about are the skeptics that remain even stronger skeptics.

Let me give you quotes from a few of them:

"I was on the John Edward show. He even had multiple guess "hits" on me that was featured on the show. However, it was edited so that my answer to another question was edited in after one of his questions. In other words, his question and my answer were deliberately mismatched."

According to this same person "He was wrong about a lot and at times was very aggressive when somebody failed to acknowledge something he said."

One critic feels he has ringers in the audience. He came to this conclusion when, at one recording session, he saw about 15 people arrive in a chartered van, but, once inside, none of them sat together.

One woman, who earlier in her career was an ABC producer, working with 20/20 correspondent, Bill Ritter, was asked by the network to do a segment on Edward. This wasn't an entirely new assignment, because when she earlier had worked with 20/20, they had done an exposé on another psychic named James Van Praagh. In that case, their exposé clearly showed the fraudulent nature of this psychics ability. After this assignment, she calls John Edward a mere clone of James Van Praagh. "All the methods and tactics he uses to get information out of the audience are nearly identical and are classical tactics used by any 'cold reader.' "

What does the Bible say?

Should a Christian have any connection to this at all. John Edward finds no conflict between his Catholic upbringing and his psychic abilities. Let's see what the Bible has to say about all this.

The so-called ability of psychics to communicate with the dead, is sometimes called Spiritism or Necromancy in the Bible. Attempting to communicate with the dead is nothing new. It's been going on for thousands of years. The Bible shows that being a psychic medium or a Spiritist, is one of the oldest forms of religious counterfeits known to man. The Book of Exodus records the Egyptians' many occultic activities, including magic, sorcery and speaking to the dead [Exodus 7 & 8].

Satan hasn't really changed much over the centuries. He still come to us with the lie he used on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. "Eat…..and your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4)

Today he makes the same promise: "Eat of my fruit and you will be like God. In fact, you are God. You will simply learn to release that God part of you that is locked within." It's the same old lie, but with a slightly different spin for modern audiences.

Yes, it is important to have our spiritual eyes and ears opened, so that we are aware of what Satan is doing in the world today. Aware of it, yes. Fascinated by it, no!

The main idea behind spiritism is that the spirits of the dead have the capacity to communicate with people on earth through mediums. And people who are having great difficulty in letting go of a loved-one who has passed away are very susceptible to these people. Many who have seen psychics operate believe it is a means of communicating with voices from beyond. Here is what God has to say about that.

Deut 18:9-12 NIV

9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

Pretty strong words. But why? Why is God so angry at this practice?

God tells us that there are beings "out there" anxious and ready to communicate with us any time we are willing to open our minds to them.

Sometimes they present themselves as angels.
Other times as beings from other planets,
And on still other occasions as the disembodied spirits of loved ones who had died.

But I believe these voices come from none of these places. It is more likely that if they are real at all, they are the voices of demons who are anxious to lead us away from biblical truth and whose ultimate aim is to bring us into supernatural bondage. They seem to know just about everything there is to know about us, and they cleverly use that information to convince us of their authenticity and win our confidence.

The fact that they know so much about us doesn't surprise me. I think demons make it a point to learn as much about us as they possibly can. They are always watching us, looking for our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, so they can attack us and bring us down. After all, they are trying to win a war.

Do I believe that these are all legitimate supernatural experiences? For the most part, no. I believe most mediums are hucksters, making a buck by exploiting another's grief. But even though I believe most mediums are fakes, the warning in Deuteronomy still stands. This is a dangerous area, one that demonic forces are all too happy to exploit.

Some would say, "Christianity is old and outdated. It's time to make way for the new." And yet Jesus himself said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35).

It seems to me that we are faced with a choice. Do we accept the words of entities who claim to be the spirits of dead loved ones, or do we accept the words of Jesus Christ?

If there is any supernatural activity during psychic readings, it most assuredly is not the spirits of a departed one speaking through a medium. It is not possible, according to Scripture, to contact the spirits of the dead. Nor can they contact us.

I believe Jesus made this abundantly clear in the story he tells in Luke 16:19-31. This is the account of the rich man and Lazarus, both of whom died.

Luke 16:19-31 NIV

19 There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores
21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
24 So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25 But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27 He answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house,
28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29 Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30 "`No, father Abraham,' he said, `but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31 "He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Two things need to be noted about this passage.

1. There is a great gulf fixed between the abode of the righteous dead and the ungodly dead. No one can cross that gulf - not even one from among the dead. The dead, in other words, are limited in their movement.

2. The rich man was refused permission to warn his five brothers of their impending fate. Along with the rest of Scripture, this passage indicates that the dead are not allowed to speak to those still living on any matter. Even on matters that would be God's will for a living Christian to speak on. The response in this case was that the brothers needed to believe what God had said, in order to escape their doom. It is said in this passage that no message, even from the dead, would change them.

Jesus declared that those who harden their hearts against the very words of God through Moses and the Prophets, would not listen to one who returned from the dead. This is actually born out in real life today. You see, Jesus actually has returned from the dead, and yet people still reject his Word.

The Bible and the Occult

The Bible, in no uncertain terms, says that man is unable to call up the spirits of the dead. If they are in contact with any spirit, it is a demon of Satan. Let's look at a few more Scriptures. We will see that the Bible warns us against attempting to communicate with the dead. Doing so opens oneself up to the possibility of invasion by sinister forces.

Lev 19:26 NIV

26 Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. "`Do not practice divination or sorcery.

Lev 19:31 NIV

31 Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Lev 20:6 NIV, says:

6 I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.

Lev 20:27 NIV

27 A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.'"

Isaiah 8:19 NIV

19 When men tell 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?

God tells us that the Christian can speak directly and personally to a living God, rather than attempting the hopeless task of talking to the dead. The Christian does not need to resort to mediums or spiritists.

Matthew 22:31-32 NIV

31 But about the resurrection of the dead-have you not read what God said to you,
32 `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

Jesus offers real hope. Spiritist and mediums offer a false hope that leads to the path of destruction.

The Bible tells us there are such things as "unclean spirits" or demons. These spirits are so evil they will never be redeemed. They already know their eventual state in the Lake of Fire.

When people dabble in the psychic arena, they open themselves to a great variety of demonic activity. Some psychics actually know who provides information about the dead to them. Others, and probably most, really think they are talking to the spirits of the dead, and believe they can help those still living by being a medium between them and those who have already "crossed over".

I think the latter is more useful to Satan and his strategy to lure people his way. Those psychics that believe they are providing a valuable service come across as more believable.

For what possible reason would evil spirits want to imitate dead people?

A moment ago, I mentioned that Satan and his demons already know their eternal fate. They have already been judged by the Almighty Judge, and the sentence has been given. They are now waiting for their sentence to be carried out.

The Scriptures lead us to conclude the real motive of the demonic spirits is to take as many people to Hell with them as possible. Why else would Satan and his demons masquerade as angels of light, if it wasn't to deceive people, and turn them from Almighty God.

Here is why I believe demonic spirits would want to imitate dead people. If they can get us to believe that it is the spirits of dead people who are speaking, then men can only conclude the dead are free to roam and, therefore, God has not judged them at the moment of death as the Bible teaches.

That makes null and void such scriptures as Hebrews 9:27, which says, It's appointed unto man once to died, and after that the judgment.

If, as the spirits imply, the dead are not judged, then human sin is not an offense to God, and there is no immediate and eternal separation from God at the moment of death for the wicked.

That voids the words in Isaiah 59:2, (NIV) which reads, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

And if sin does not separate man from God, then Christ did not have to die for man's sin. According to the spirit's speaking to the medium, this means man's faith in Christ as a Savior is unnecessary. And if men and women never trust Christ and receive Him as Savior, then at death they go to judgment, and the demons have achieved their purpose. In fact, the spirits that speak to psychics, channelers, etc., teach that all men are divine, and, therefore, do not even require salvation. The only things they recommend are minor adjustments in man's thinking. Sometimes they go as far as to teach that the cause of humanity's problem, is really our ignorance of our own true divine nature. And these psychics are here to help us. This is what they claim, and most have been duped to believe it themselves.

Most spirits, whether speaking through a channeler, or speaking to a psychic, claim to be the spirits of human dead. They claim they have come back to convince men not to fear their eventual death.

Today, more than ever before, many distinct voices vie for our attention. So it is vitally important to know how to tell a legitimate spiritual message from a counterfeit.

Here are five practical scriptural methods to "test the spirits." Here is what an authentic messenger from God does.

1. He always proclaims - and never denies - that Jesus is God's Son and that He came to earth in fleshly form.

2. Always exalts Jesus Christ and points toward His atonement for sin, which He made when He died on the cross.

1 Cor 10:31 NIV tells us:

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

When we see or hear of people having psychic, telepathic or any such abilities, the first thing I look for is this: "Who is getting the glory."

The authentic messenger of God.....

3. Never encourages divination or occult practices.

4. Never contradicts Scripture or dismisses its importance.

5. Never undermines the majesty, glory, or holiness of almighty God, King of the universe.

This advice is in line with what the apostle John wrote to us in 1 John 4:1-3.

1 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.

The bottom line is that Christians have the pure Word of God, and need not fall for these who masquerade as angels of light.

1 Tim 4:1 NIV

1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Hell is a real place, and the torment felt by those who are not ready at death will also be very real. Don't let things taught by demon cause you to abandon your faith.

The Bible makes it absolutely clear. God instructs us to reject every form of spiritism.....

.....whether it is: Psychics, Channeling, Ouija Boards, Astrology, Black magic, White Magic, Parapsychology, Witchcraft, Fortune-telling, Horoscopes, Palm Reading, Ascended Masters, Spirit Guides, Tarot Cards, Crystal Gazing, Secular Humanism, Numerology, Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Materialization, Divination, Casting Spells, Reincarnation, Astral Projection, Altered Consciousness, Animism, Automatic Writing, Mediums, Psychic Healers, Telepathic Psychic Powers, Séances, Fire-walking, Omens and Amulets, ESP, Telekinesis, Levitations, Mesmerism, Sorcery, Satanism, Transmigration of Soul, Personal Divinity and New Age.

Attempting to communicate with the dead is forbidden by God, because it opens a door for Satan to deceive us. Yes, according to the Bible, life does go on beyond the grave. But not in the way the psychics would lead us to believe.

The Witch of Endor

A passage of Scripture that is often quoted in discussions like this is 1 Samuel 28. It is the story of Saul and the medium at Endor. Proponents of spiritism like to point to this passage to show that the medium was able to contact Samuel's spirit.

I know there has been a great debate, even among godly theologians, about what actually happened here. This is indeed one of the difficult passages in the Bible.

First, it must be stated some Bible scholars believe it was NOT Samuel who was called up. Some believe it was a demon, and some believe it was just a trick.

But the majority of evangelical scholars hold that it actually was Samuel. They believe that this can be substantiated and explained by examining the context. Serious question arise for both of these views, which would need answering.

First, lets stand back and get an overview of the situation leading to Saul's enquiry of this medium. In his preoccupation with the pursuit of David, King Saul had neglected the growing Philistine threat to Israel. The Philistines undertook a new strategy and marched north along the coast, and then east into the Valley of Jezreel. In this valley they could use their chariots to their advantage, and were able to cut Saul off from all the northern tribes. By the way, this same valley is destined to be the site of the future battle of Armageddon. The Philistines set up camp at Shunem, a city in the Valley of Jezreel, located on the southern slopes of Mt. Moreh.

Saul and his Israeli forces were located just 5 miles south at Mount Gilboa. According to 1 Samuel 28:5 (NIV), when Saul realized this, he was greatly troubled.

5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.

Samuel had always been the voice of the Lord unto Saul, but Samuel had died. Verse 6 says Saul inquired of the Lord but he received no answer from the Lord. In a state of panic and fear, verse 7 says he instructed his attendants to find a woman who is a medium.

This is an odd request, in light of what the Word of God says just four verses earlier. Verse 3 says that "Paul had expelled all mediums and spiritists from the land."

We know that Saul was not an overly righteous king, but to his credit, he had removed these people from the land. But while he had removed the spirit of witchcraft from the land, he had not removed it from his heart. In a time of personal desperation, rather than turn to God for guidance, he turned to evils spirit.

His aides came back to him with the report of a medium located in Endor, which is located about 10 miles due north of where he was. Saul disguises himself, and sets out to consult with her. Let's look at the Passage.

1 Sam 28:8-11 NIV

8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."
9 But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"
10 Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."
11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said.

I know that verse 6 in this passage says that Saul inquired of the Lord, but did he really turn to God with a clean heart and right motives? In a moment, we will see that God punished Saul for seeking guidance from a medium, by taking Saul's life, along with his three sons.

And in 1 Chron. 10, where we also find a record of his death, this is what it says in verses 13 & 14.

1 Chron 10:13-14 NIV

13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

This verse says Saul did NOT enquire of the Lord, but sought a medium for guidance instead.

Now that we have set the stage, let's examine the various possible scenarios. As stated earlier, there are two major opinions. Some believe that it only appeared to be Samuel, and that what was there was really a demon. Other godly people believe it was actually Samuel.As I stated a moment ago, there are problems with each of these at first blush.

I don't think there is any question that this woman was not a servant of the Lord. If she was in league with spiritual force, it was with Satan rather than God. God had said that such people should be put to death.

For those who believe this actually was Samuel, how is it possible that a person in league with the forces of evil, can call forth the righteous dead from their blissful abode. Can those serving Satan really yank a saved soul out of their spiritual repose? It seems to me this is a very grave (pun intended) theological problem. This would say the unrighteous have power over the righteous who have died. I can't imagine that.

On the other side, if this is not actually Samuel, but some form of a demonic spirit in disguise, how is it they are able to prophecy on behalf of Jehovah. What about the prophetic message this personage gave to Saul, which we know from what follows that these were prophetic words which actually came to pass the very next day, as was stated.

Look at what this person or demonic spirit said.

1 Sam 28:16-20 NIV

16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors-to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines." 20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

Could a demonic spirit actually deliver this message?

The traditional Jewish Rabinnic view is that these verses record a genuine appearance of Samuel. I happen to lean in that direction, but also knowing that I will not be able to put this issue finally to rest. There are several reason that I believe favor this view.

Firstly, the passage shows that the Medium of Endor was just as surprised as anyone at Samuel's appearance. (vs. 12) She let out a shriek from the top of her voice. This would seem to indicate that she may be a fake, and was a medium only for the purpose of making money. It greatly surprised her that something actually appeared.

Secondly, there is no indication that either fraud or demonism is present in either the person of Samuel or the message given by him. It is unlikely that Saul, who knew Samuel so well, would have been easily tricked by an impersonation. But, on the other hand, Satan is pretty cunning in his desceptions.

Thirdly, the message spoken by Samuel was clearly from God.

Fourthly, in verse 15 and following, it says, "Samuel said to Saul,…." That implies that it was actually Samuel. It doesn't say the spirit, or ghost, or apparition spoke to Saul. It says "Samuel spoke…" I think the wording almost forces it to mean it was actually Samuel speaking.

Samuel never really answers Saul's question, which was, "What shall I do?" There was nothing that could be done. Because of his disobedience, his fate was sealed.

Fifthly, we have a similar situation, although under difference circumstance, where God brought the dead back from the grave. God always does as He desires in this area. If God wants to raise Samuel for his purposes, He alone has that ability. He chose to bring back Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration before Christ was crucified. God chose this moment to deliver a prophetic message to Saul because of his rebellion against God.

What I have given you is by no means decisive. This is one of those things that we may never really know until we arrive in heaven. We can speculate and form opinions, but there is very little here from which to form a doctrine.

Last Updated: Wednesday September 07 2011
©2001 John's Notes