Many believers can recall that in the last several years, there has been a resurgent interest in the occult and witchcraft in all its multifaceted guises. The main thrust has been presenting the occult as a business in-road, wearing rings on the right hand (love finger) or presenting the occult as popular and witchcraft as an innocent, entertaining subject in literature and in movies.
As usual 95% of Christians fail to use discernment, yield to media manipulation, and embrace this “sugar coated” siren of occultism and witchcraft along with the deluded mass of the population little heeding a wide array of Biblical admonitions not to open the door to Satan who comes to devour as a roaring lion. Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31) and that’s exactly what Satan will do if we don’t ask before reading a book, watching a movie, entering a relationship or pursuing any course of action “What would Jesus do?”
Occultism and Witchcraft involves the manipulation of the demonic host, through incantations and the casting of spells. Occult sex and witchcraft can also involve communication with demonic spirits impersonating the dead. The Bible clearly teaches that the dead cannot communicate with the living as there is a great chasm separating the dead from the living (Luke 16:26). As discarnate spirit entities, these demons possess knowledge regarding the activities of humans and have a limited ability to foretell the future.
Here are a few of the scriptures regarding witchcraft: The Old and New Testaments treat witchcraft as an evil, rebellious, and loathsome practice. Those who practiced it were not tolerated. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live, Exodus 22:18
Moses cautioned the children of Israel:
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable way of the nations there. 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, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord has not permitted you to do so. Deuteronomy 18:9-14
With respect to the evil kind Manasseh who reigned in Jerusalem fifty five years the Bible states: “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, followed the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites” (2 Chronicles 33:2). “He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger” (2 Chronicles 33:6).
Sodomites were those who imitated the licentious wickedness of Sodom (De 23:17; 1Ki 14:24; Ro 1:26,27). Asa destroyed them \”out of the land\” (1Ki 15:12), as did also his son Jehoshaphat (1Ki 22:46).
When Samuel reproved King Saul, he compared rebellion to the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Witchcraft includes both divination and idolatry. “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king” (1 Samuel 23). If Saul was rejected by God for rebellion and arrogance so will a modern day person who practices or permits himself or herself to be entertained by witchcraft and idolatry.
The Living Bible clearly addresses the fate of those who delve into the “lust” for the occult: “The Lord has rejected you because you welcome foreigners from the East who practice magic and communicate with evil spirits” (Isaiah 2:6). “Crawl into the caves in the rocks and hide in terror from his glorious majesty, for the day is coming when your proud looks will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted. On that day the Lord of Hosts will move against the proud and haughty and bring them to dust…All the glory of mankind will bow low; the pride of men will like in the dust, and the Lord alone will be exalted. And all idols will be utterly abolished and destroyed” (Isaiah 2:10-18).
Paul in Galatians 5:19-21 ascribes witchcraft as a deed of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” It is interesting to note that Paul’s warning is to the churches of Galatia whose members are already Christians. They are warned that by engaging in sinful conduct they would not inherit the kingdom of God. The warning is to those who have accepted Christ. The modern day Christian who is entertained or allows his or her children to be entertained and/or participate in the works of the flesh, which includes witchcraft, should give serious heed to this warning.
Today we have secret occult sex groups coming out. They parade themselves as a community and as a minority. They will do worst than the men of Sodom if they ever are in majority.
White magic and black magic are not acceptable in Christianity and there is no such thing as “cheap grace”. Christ died on the cross to forgive us for our sins, yet there is no excuse to take sin lightly. Engaging in any sin including sorcery opens one to demonic oppression and with persistent sinful conduct possession.
One cannot rationalize that one is not engaged in witchcraft but merely being entertained by books or movies whose characters participate in witchcraft, even though the protagonists are “good” witches.
Christianity teaches that witchcraft, even charming, candy coated witchcraft, is evil and that redemption only comes through Jesus Christ and certainly not from the occult. Communication with the dead is actually communication with demons or “fallen angels.” Casting spells is prohibited.
In Christianity, salvation does not come through witchcraft but by accepting the Son of God. Good is what is of God and comes from worshiping Him. “Innocent” or “mechanical” witchcraft is still witchcraft and as such dark. Exposing one’s children to a heavy dose of the supernatural, even if portrayed through the activities of appealing characters, is not acceptable. The siren call of the occult in children’s movies and cartoons can be appealing. Ghosts, flying broomsticks, werewolves, vampires, snakes, witches, giants, bats, goblins, haunted hallways may look captivating on Tv screens but they can instill a spirit of fear.
Parents have a responsibility to screen what their children watch. Studies have shown that children and adults who watch regular violence on the screen become desensitized to it. The same applies with intensive exposure to the occult. Jesus said, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:1-2).
For all those who have engaged in sinful conduct including occult or sexual fantasy, there is only one avenue for cleansing, nothing less than the atoning blood of Jesus. Both the non Christian and the Christian need to repent of their sins by asking God to forgive them. The non Christian needs to invite Jesus through a simple prayer to take charge of his/her life (“Jesus I accept your sacrifice for me on the cross. Forgive me for my sins. Please come into my life and take charge. Help me walk in your light”).
There is a Network of the Gay lobby in the Vatican. This is no wonder then that there is a meeting this October on easing some of the doctrines of the church on the family. Let us not forget there are 2 Popes and the recent scandals all over the World about Priests who are pedophiles, one even declared openly that he was gay thereby jumping the gun. There is now a softening of language and an accommodation of this evil of the Sodomite practice all over the world. Hear this statement:
As a way to contribute to the discussion surrounding marriage and family at the Vatican’s 2015 Family Synod, a significant series of case histories of pastoral care for LGBT people will be brought to light at an international conference entitled “Ways of Love: Snapshots of Catholic Encounter with LGBT people and Their Families,” 3 October 2015, in Rome, Italy.
These testimonies, given by Catholic pastoral leaders from around the globe, demonstrate that a pastoral approach is better than an ideological one for promoting peaceful and fruitful relationships with LGBT people in the everyday life of Roman Catholic communities.
Take a lesson from the sorcerers and witches who came to a saving knowledge of Christ in Acts 19:19: “And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.” All occult objects should be destroyed as these items are vehicles or “windows” for occult activity and oppression. They are literally magnets, which draw the demonic host.