When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn the abhorrent practices of those nations. There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, anyone who practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, one who conjures up spirits, a practitioner of the occult, or a necromancer. Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord and because of these detestable things the Lord your God is about to drive them out from before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. – Deuteronomy 18.9-13

Just about a year ago Think-Biblically ran a series on demonic activity in the modern world. We discussed demonic familiars and their “Strong Man” superiors, demonic oppression and demonic possession. Since then readers have asked for a more scholarly series on the topic of demonism. While every culture has a way to participate with or repel demons, there is no better guide to this unseen realm than the Bible itself. The passage quoted above reveals nine foundational occult practices that are abominable to God (and should be to us as well). These include:

The Deuteronomic passage ends with a stern warning from the Almighty: “You must be blameless before the Lord your God.” Furthermore, in Leviticus chapter 20 all such occult practices are not merely forbidden, but punishable by death. As one can see, the occult is serious business, and there are many paths – some direct others more discrete -- that lead to involvement with these beings.

If at present the reader of this site is not a Christian (one who has had his sins atoned for by the blood of Jesus Christ by exercising faith in him, his accomplishments on the cross, and his bodily resurrection), then beware. Many non-Christian investigators have experienced terrifying and tragic results from such a study as they are not protected by the blood of Christ and his Holy Spirit. A warning found at the start of a CD-ROM authored by non-Christians entitled Search for Ancient Wisdom is befitting this series also:

“Furthermore, the study of ancient wisdom carries with it powerful spiritual forces which could unleash a backlash on the unprepared seeker.”

A Christian need not worry greatly about the effects of studying the netherworld of demons, as the one who is in them (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world (Satan and his minions).

If you are a non-Christian, we at Think-Biblically urge you to look no further into the matters of the occult, but to look rather into the matters of the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus, God’s only Son, born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life in accordance to God’s law (the Pentateuch, or Torah), suffered disgrace at the hands of man, was put to death by crucifixion on a Roman cross, was buried and three days later rose from the dead by the hand and power of Almighty God. His sacrificial death paid the price for all of mankind’s sins, and is capable of bringing every person into a right relationship with God, regardless of what actions one may have taken previously. To receive this grace and become a member of God’s family, you must trust these truths; trust in Jesus Christ for both this life, and life after our physical death. Though Think-Biblically understands one’s curiosity in matters of the spiritual world, we also understand that one will face no greater spiritual question than “Will you trust Jesus Christ?” After an investigation into the person of Jesus and a decision to follow him, you will be sufficiently prepared to read next week’s series.