WHAT DO WE MEAN BY OCCULT?

Definition

The word occult means 'hidden' or 'concealed.' It is the opposite meaning of God's revelation, which opens things up. The Bible warns us that there is a counterfeit supernatural power, that can perform wonders such as moving or locating objects. Being aware of the root of the power at work, is vital. We should not be surprised that the devil can counterfeit, to a degree, what God does because for instance we have the changing of Aaron's rod before Pharaoh. The Egyptian magicians could counterfeit that part; however, God showed He was supreme in the events that followed and the magicians lost their magic rods for good! [See Exodus 7:8-13].

The occult contains a large spectrum of practices. Some, at the lower end of the scale, and this is where many begin, seem harmless but they could be a doorway that leads down a path taking you deeper into the occult. Whatever the situation we must remember that Satan does not play games, if we dabble or play with areas that are his, then there must be a confrontation at some point.

Know your Enemy

When you compare the definition of what is occult and what God says about His works, we see that this realm cannot be from God. However, it is easy to be tricked by Satan into believing the opposite and so we need to know the Devil's schemes that we read about in the Bible (2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan's character is described in the Bible as, a deceiver, a causer of doubt in God, a liar, a tempter and, if he can, a devourer. Thus we see he is the enemy of God and all he wants to do

One of Satan's main weapons is fear and we need to deal with this first.

Demon Possession

The Greek word found in the New Testament of the Bible is damonzomai, which literally means 'demonisation', that is, the way we are affected by demonic or satanic forces. We need to underline here that Satan, although a supernatural being, cannot be everywhere, as God can be. That is why he has such a well-run army [Ephesians 6:12]. In addition, in order for any of these beings to affect us inwardly they need a doorway through which to enter. Satan was looking for such a doorway when he tempted Jesus [Luke 4:1-13]. He tempted Jesus on every level - body, soul and spirit - but no doorway was found and he had to leave and wait for a more opportune time.

Whether you have heard the expressions 'oppression' or 'possession' they are really talking about the level of being affected. This is a very real experience and is not just the subject of horror movies. Luke 4:28 also shows that Satan can sometimes use a temporary foothold that we give him. The people were enraged with Jesus, and Satan used that to get them to attack Him. Just because we lose our temper from time to time, it does not mean we have a 'spirit of rage'. However, for others they have opened a doorway and such ones need to come to Jesus Christ and know His deliverance. If you feel this is your experience please know that there is an answer and you are not without hope.

Involvement

The doorways into the occult are various, and not all will lead to permanent demonisation, but always there is the potential to be seriously affected by Satan's lies and bondage. Just as the Holy Spirit, who can do great things in peoples lives, releasing them from bondage, healing, etc.; there are evil spirits who want to do just the opposite. The difference is that God is eternal and unlimited, whereas Satan has limits, he is not eternal. He is, however, greater than man by himself, because he is a heavenly creation. Therefore, if we do not have and use the protection of the Lord Jesus, Satan can affect us in supernatural ways.

Certainly we must not blame everything on Satan, but he can do much in an unprotected life. We are certainly not saying that everyone who is involved in the occult is a "nasty, horrible person"; indeed many have unwittingly stumbled into these practices or maybe have learnt them in the family, and therefore feel they are okay. Others would have entered at a vulnerable time of their lives, and still others may have been 'spiritually' affected from the past.

Below we list some of the most common doorways and in the following pages we mention others. If you need further help or want to know about other practices please do contact us.

Horoscopes: Whether the person involved has an occult 'gift' or is just 'doing a job', there is the possibility of coming into problems. The moment we take notice of a prediction simply from someone's 'mind' we are allowing outside forces of superstition to bind our lives and even this can be a doorway for Satan. If of course there is an occultic spirit involved it could be much worse

Levitation: The witches of olden times, too, were popularly supposed to make use of some occult mode of locomotion in their nocturnal travels… As a spiritualistic phenomenon levitation of the human body became known at an early stage of the movement, being recorded in connection with the medium Gordon so early as 1851. But the most important of levitated mediums was D.D. Horne - The Encyclopedia of the Occult, (around 1900) 1994 edition, by Lewis Spence, p.250.

When levitation is sought by means of power and not just a party game then the dangers are clearly there.

Pendulum divination:

The Encyclopedia of the Occult informs us that divination is,

The method of obtaining knowledge of the unknown or the future by means of omens… The derivation of the word supposes a direct message from the gods to the diviner… The methods of divination are many and various, and strangely enough in their variety are confined to no one corner of the globe. - Spence, pp.125/126.

Into this same category would come the dowsing rod. Many would feel that this is a harmless activity and that the power to move the rod to find water, minerals etc., is a latent power within man. The history of the subject would not give one that confidence.

This ancient divining rod was a form of rhabdomancy or divination by means of little pieces of stick. In Germany it was known as the "wishing-rod" and was used just as fortune tellers use cards, coffee or tea-grounds at the present day… As to theory for these movements… A modern scientist gives his opinion that very possibly it is due to a faculty in the "dowser" akin to that possessed by a medium: "some transcendental perceptive power unconsciously possessed by certain persons, a faculty analogous to what is called clairvoyance. - Spence, p.128.

Ouija Boards: Seven million boards were sold in the 1970's alone. The letters of the alphabet and usually the words, 'yes' and 'no' are placed in a circle. One person then puts their hand on the glass, and calls on the spirit of the glass. Questions are then asked, and the glass moves by a force, outside the natural realm, and spells out the answer. Some answers given when Christians are present clearly show the force to be evil.

In 1996 we received an e-mail via our pages on the World Wide Web from two girls in Ontario Canada. They read as follows;

My house is being haunted by several ghosts I contacted with the ouija and I have seen them twice. They walk down our hallway and we have pictures of them. I know their names and know confidential info on the afterlife, aliens doomsday. My friend Bridget and I have contacted many ghosts through the ouija board. Their names are Acad, Michael, Mama, Dart, Ben, Mak… We know more than we should do about this.

What started out as a simple game turned into a nightmare that will literally haunt these girls until they are ready to deal with the basic problem. Notice the 'carrot' held out by these demonic beings of imparting confidential information that no other human being can know. The lies and deception of Satan know no bounds.

Fortune telling: This also includes other forms of divination, such as Palm Reading, Tarot Cards, Reading Tea Cups, etc. These are clearly forbidden in the Bible - see Micah 5:12. They are also contrasted with seeking God in 1 Chronicles 10: 13-14. The same spirit is behind the practice whatever means of divination is being used. Normally the means used is simply an aid to the supernatural power that the person possesses. In such a case we are allowing 'Satan' to prophecy directly into our life.

Many people in this field will openly confess that they do not know where the power comes from. Often they appear not to even care, as long as it works. The question to ask however, is not, "does it work?" But, "what is its source of supernatural power?"

National Federation of Spiritual Healers: The Federation's own literature, records that it is a registered charity with at present some 7,000 registered Spiritual Healers in Great Britain. They do not always charge for their services but they do expect a voluntary donation. The movement was founded in 1955 by Gordon Turner and Harry Edwards. They saw a need to have an organisation that would win public respect and credibility for the way it was organised, because until then people had worked as individuals. Some 'healers', by their bizarre methods, had bought the whole area into disrepute. We are not given the details of these methods but apparently one of the less bizarre methods was going into a trance. The federation states that the potential spiritual healer does not have to be religious or 'good' in anyway whatsoever. In fact in one of their books on healing it infers that being religious can impeded your healing powers! To take this to the extreme, a mass-murderer or a devil worshipper could be a healer. They also say that no faith is necessary for the healing work.

The Federation do not encourage praying aloud because they claim it creates barriers, perhaps triggering off theological arguments in the patients mind. A potential healer has to spend at least a year learning with a qualified healer. Seminars and various courses are all part of the training and a three day course could set you back £195.

Many of the healers in the Federation are also involved in New Age therapies and so much of their philosophy is based on the belief that 'man' is in control and 'man' is his own divine source of healing. In one of their leaflets they state that although they see the source of healing as divine, they respect the rights of each individual to their own interpretation of the source.

Crystals: There is nothing wrong or inherently occult about a crystal. Today, however, powers are being transferred via crystals and they can take on supernatural properties if the person buying the crystal accepts that they have them. Crystal have been associated with the occult for many years with, of course, the proverbial crystal ball.

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