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In the last twenty years, there has been an explosion of interest and awareness of the occult in America, so much so that to call such practices "the occult" no longer makes much sense, although the name has stuck. The original meaning of the word "occult" means "hidden or secret things" and it was used to apply to spiritual and dark knowledge that could only be gained by the initiated few or those who delved into secret societies. Today, an American can go into any major bookstore chain or the local library and choose from thousands of books on spell, witchery, incantations, and other occult practices. Type "what do I do to become a witch?" into any major internet search engine and you will be directed to hundreds of websites which are glad to share such information with you. Satan is no longer having to disguise himself to get people to worship him, but is now rather saying "here I am, come follow me" and people are coming in droves.

This occult explosion should not surprise us, because the Bible told us it was coming:

The Bible also says that Satan has disguised himself as an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). So it should be no surprise that he has repackaged witchcraft into a pleasing religious movement. What does come as a surprise is the number of Christians who do not realize the occult explosion for what it is, and even participate -- some unknowingly -- in it's practices! One of the reason for many Christian's unknowing involvement in the occult is the fact that few Christians regularly study the Bible and are taught what to God are the most basic facts of the scripture's view of spirituality and occult practices. This study is to help make right that wrong. Another reason is that the occult comes in cute packages now and represents itself as something harmless and fun. The Smurfs seem simple and innocent and I used to think that they were grand, but the basic story line for the show was a bunch of small, blue people practicing witchcraft. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and the myriad of video games where witches and spell casting and potions are the norm make the occult seem something harmless. Ouija boards are sold in the kid's game sections right alongside Scrabble and Monopoly. There are so many branches of occult belief alive and well today that at first glance it can be hard to identify all of them that are trying to get into your life.

Occult practices have been around a very long time, even back to the time that Israel took over the Promised Land. Then, God revealed His feelings toward such things:

The list of occult practices detested by God in these verses are nine:

1. Human sacrifice

2. Divination -- the foretelling of the future (especially for a fee).

3. Sorcery -- in the Hebrew, someone who attempts to tell the future by viewing present or past events such as the clouds, planets, astrology, etc...

4. Interprets omens -- referring to someone who reads "signs" for the foretelling of the future or advice. In Biblical days, the "signs" might be the arrangement of animal intestines from a sacrificed carcase or the flight of birds. Today the "signs" are likely to be tea leaves or tarot cards.

5. Engages in witchcraft -- literally in the Hebrew "who practices magic." Those who try to use herbs, potions, concoctions, drugs, etc... to influence the powers of nature.

6. Casts spells -- those who use words, phrases, and the tying of knots and other such sorcery.

7. Medium -- Someone who claims to be able to communicate with spirits in order to get oracular answers from a superior order.

8. Spiritist -- Literally in the Hebrew "a wizard." Refers to someone who claims to be wise so that their superior spiritual knowledge gives them power. Could also refer to male witches or people who "channel" spirits.

9. Who consults the dead -- Someone who claims to be able to communicate with the dead and/or seeks answers from them.

God then says "anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord." The word "detestable" is "abomination" in the KJV and is the strongest possible word in the Hebrew. "Abominations against God" are sins and things that God particularly detests and hates. In talking about the New Jerusalem and eternal life we find this scripture in the book of Revelation:

Those who do what is "detestable" (abomination) in the KJV, will not enter into the blessed city and will not live forever with Jesus Christ! What God hated back in Moses' day, He still hates today, and all of these occult practices are still rampant today, and God's feelings toward them have not changed! And there are two ways to participate in the occult: actively and passively. You may not be the one who claims to have a relationship with the dead or be able to tell the future, but if you go to such a person and ask for help, then you are just as involved in the occult as they are. Our other text said:

We must avoid participating and supporting occult practices in any way, shape, or form. No matter how harmless that it seems, we must separate ourselves from things that God hates! We must separate ourselves from:

This is the largest and most widespread are of the occult today. Astrologists follow the "signs of the zodiac" which are the twelve constellations that the sun, moon, and the planets appear to move though during the year. Your "birth sign" is supposedly assigned to you by which constellation the sun was in at your birth. That combined with the current placement of the sun, moon, and planets are supposed to calculate future events and cycles of good and bad in your life. These predictions are most commonly published in a written form called a horoscope. You can purchase these at any gas station and over 50 million Americans read -- and believe -- their horoscope every morning in the newspaper in order to see what they should do that day.

There is a major difference between astrology and astronomy. Astrology is the belief that the positioning of the planets foretells future events. Astronomy is the science of studying the universe. The two are miles apart: one deals with mythology and the other with scientific observations and facts. Yet most people get the two confused, the consternation of astronomers. I am an amateur astronomer, and even I get asked all the time by preachers and such "what about the scriptures against astrology?" Modern day astronomers detest astrology and think it's junk. The Bible discourages astrology, but encourages astronomy. David wrote:

God, Himself brought attention to the constellations and stars:

The Pleiades are a famous star cluster of the winter sky and Orion is the mighty hunter constellation also in the winter. "Mazzaroth" literally means "constellation" and "the Bear" refers to the constellation Ursa Major in which the Big Dipper is found. God encouraged study of the universe because the Psalmist wrote:

The entire nineteenth psalm is a testament of astronomy. God smiles on and even encourages the study and viewing of the universe. But if that study takes the form of trying to predict the future or make decisions in everyday life because of the positions of the planets, then God frowns on and condemns such behavior. Listen to God's view of those who practice astrology:

We are no longer under the Law of Moses, so we do not stone astrologers, but it should be very obvious from these scriptures, God's view of worshipping, or putting faith in the actions of the sun and moon. The main creators of astrology were the Chaldeans, which is the people and false religion that God called Abraham out of to serve Him. Abraham had to come out of such beliefs to serve the true God -- God forbid that we the children of faith and the seed of Abraham's promises from God would turn back to such practices.

Before we move on, let me also point out that modern astronomy has completely disproved and debunked astrology. For example, the signs of the zodiac are not even correct due to a wobble in the earth's axis called "precession." The earth does not spin evenly but is rather like a slowing top that wobbles back and forth with the effect that the constellations have shifted almost 25 degrees in the last two thousand years. What this means is that the sun is no longer in the same constellations at a particular time of the year as the astrologers say they are. According to astrology, if a person is born on November 10, the are born under the sign of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Today, on November 10, the sun is not in Scorpius but in Libra, the Scales. It was in Scorpius in November 2,200 years ago when the signs were defined by the Greeks, but the precession of the earth has changed. The sun will not actually be in Scorpius again until 24,000 years from now. If there was some effect of the planets on our everyday lives (of which there is none -- and that's been proven scientifically) then your horoscope would not be correct for another 24,000 years!

I could go on and on about other proofs about why astrology is bunk, such as the planets that weren't even discovered yet when the rules of astrology were drawn up, but one more point is sufficient. In 1979 a comprehensive study was undertaken that collected predictions in astrology magazines and horoscope guides during a five year period. Out of a total of more than 3,000 predictions noted, only 338, -- about 11 % -- were fulfilled as published. That's not very good odds for something supposed to be accurate! It's very clear that astrology is just occult practices packaged to make money and is the scam of the century.

Satanism is such an obvious contradiction to Christianity, that it does not even warrant being covered here, and it is sufficient to say that the Bible reveals the devil as a loser, a fallen angel, who has power, but power that is very limited compared to what God has and gives! Isaiah chapter 14:12-16 reveals to us that Satan was an angel who rebelled against God because he wanted to "be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). The issue in such affairs, then, has been about power from the very beginning and it still is. People who are lured into the trap of Satanism do not do so because they want to go to hell, but rather because they believe the lie of the devil that obeying him, will bring a greater power into their lives. It is the same trap that Adam and Eve fell into in the Garden of Eden. Satan promised them that they would "be like gods." It's always been about power.

Witchcraft is most often not open worship of Satan. It is a thirst for power. More often than not, people who get involved in sorceries, incantations, spells, and such do so trying to "tap into a higher force" in their life. This very Satanic theme has been propagated subtly throughout society so that many Christians think in terms of "a higher force." In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker was always trying to tap into "the force." It has been estimated that over 80% of all cartoon shows now involve some sort of witchcraft principal of "tapping into a higher power" to gain strength or spiritual power. Our children are being indoctrinated by such occult principles of witchcraft at an early age and it's no wonder that the occult has grown so much in the past few years. Kid's cartoons for the most part are no longer G.I. Joe and Transformers, but are filled with witchcraft and spells, and other occult teachings. People grow up thinking that "there must be a higher power out there" and many of them long to tap into it.

Let me say that there is a higher power out there that you can tap into, but it's not the devil or nature, but the one, true Living God! There is a Spirit that needs to inhabit your body, but it's the Spirit of that loving God! There is a principle in the Word of God of the devil trying to counterfeit God in every way and thus cheapen the real thing. In the Bible, there are no devil possessions recorded until Jesus Christ was born and Jesus was God in flesh. Then all of a sudden, devil possessions are everywhere! The devil was copying God, and trying to weaken and cheapen the Incarnation through his imitation. Those who think that such cartoon shows, books, computer games, and movies that are heavily filled with witchcraft are harmless are only being deceived. I've heard "but preacher, they know that all of that is not really real." And the problem with that is that you teach your children that such things of the spirit are not real, and so when they hear a Sunday School teacher or a Bible study teacher tell about the gift of the Holy Ghost and how that the Spirit of God wants to come inside of their life and how that God can do miracles, most of them immediately think "I've never actually seen that in real life, therefore it must just be more of that spiritual stuff that isn't real." By presenting an imitation, the devil seeks to weaken and cheapen the real power of God working in our lives.

And the truth of the matter is that much of the occult is "real" to some extent. The devil has "some power" and he really exists. As Christians we would be better to teach our kids that the devil is real and that sometimes spells do work, but that our God is the Almighty God and greater power comes through serving Jesus Christ. The scriptures say:

The most advanced warlock of black magic or most powerful devil worshipper is no match for the faithful and completely devoted Christian! When we obey God's Word in our life, we are tapping into a much greater source of power!

Ron Carlson & Ed Decker, Christian theologians who have spent years studying the occult, say that all people who get involved in witchcraft do so because of one of five reasons:

1. Unchurched people who have little interest in organized religion, or they were raised in Christian churches but had a bad experience in them. The occult gives them the power of a religion whose level of involvement is of their choosing.

2. Misfits, those who feel alienated from society and seek to know why they feel that way. The occult gives them the power to "fit in somewhere."

3. People whose lives are humdrum and who need some sort of glamorous fantasy. The occult gives the power to convince themselves that they are important.

4. People who feel lonely or powerless. The occult promises the power to change the universe and to control the minds and wills of other people.

5. People who need to feel elite and exclusive, far above the "ordinary" world. This is usually why many highly educated, intelligent people get involved in the occult, because they feel as if they are "advancing beyond normal humanity."

Whichever the case may be, the issue is still the desire for power! Occultists are defined and separated by their definition of "magic." There are two branches of witchcraft, "white magic," and "black magic." Black magic teaches that there are two sources of power into which you can tap: a good one and a bad one. White magic teaches that there is only one universal source of power and it is up to the individual to use that power for good or for bad. Typically if someone practices "white magic," they are supposedly only trying to tap into the universal power for "good things."

As with astrology and astronomy, there is a great confusion in occult magic and "magic shows" of illusionary tricks. Occult magic is spells, sorcery, incantations, and spiritism and is completely forbidden by God. Illusionary "magic" tricks such as pulling a bunny out of hat or appearing to saw somebody in two are simply "sleight of hand" and are mystical only in the sense that a skilled performer can usually pull off the trick without you seeing how he did it. We must be careful not to confuse "illusions" and "sleight of hand" with sorcery -- they are in fact two different things, just as astrology and astronomy are completely unrelated and incompatible fields. If a "magician" really had "magical powers," he would not need to go to a shop and buy a trick and practice it until you cannot tell how he's doing it. If it were sorcery, then no hidden devices or false bottoms would be needed.

The Wiccan Religion is an organized "white magic" branch of the Witchcraft. It was founded in the 1950s in England by a man named Gerald Gardner. Wicca is the fastest growing religion organization of witchcraft origins with about three million Wiccans worldwide. There are other occult organizations such as the Neo-pagans. In fact, in England there are more registered witches and warlocks (male witches) than there are licensed Christian preachers! We mention Wicca here because it is Wicca that has had the most success in the United States.

There are differences between Wicca and witchcraft. All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are practitioners of Wicca. Wicca is essentially the modern day organization of the Celtic and Norse pagan religion common in ancient England. Most initiates are organized into "covens" which is what they call their "church meetings." Their "bibles" are two books by their founder, Gerald Gardner, entitled The Witch Cult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches. Wiccan coves always convene outside.

Wicca teaches that there is an unknowable god who is the Supreme Being called "the All" or "the One." They also teach that there are other "more knowable" deities chief amongst them being "The Goddess" and her consort "the God" or "the horned one." They also pray to and worship many other gods of mythology such as Diana, Thor, Zeus, Pan, Athena, Odin, Osiris, etc...

All initiates of Wicca must take the vow of the "charge of the Goddess" at initiation and must also agree to live by the Wiccan Rede which states: "If it harms none, do what you will." They regularly meet for worship on nights of the full moon and there are thirteen of these meetings (called Esbats) each year. A typical meeting includes prayer to various gods or goddesses, casting of a circle, reciting spells, dancing, singing, sharing cakes and wine or beer. At each meeting, they also perform a ritual known as "drawing down the moon" in which they ask for the spirit of the gods to come inside of them. They also celebrate eight special days of festivity and ritual known as "Sabbats." Four of the Sabbats are Celtic holy days and the other four are important points on a solar calendar. These Sabbats are celebrated beginning at sunset and ending at the following sunset and are listed here in annual order:

Wicca teaches life after death only in the sense of reincarnation. They believe that when you finally reach perfection, you make it to "the Summerland." They are pantheistic teaching that the gods are a part of nature. Because of this belief, Wiccans tend to be very interested in environmental and ecological concerns.

Time does not permit us to go through the thousands of scriptures that forbid the worship of the moon, spirits, nature, and the gods and goddesses listed above, but it should suffice to say that the scripture says to only worship the Creator and not the creation and that there is only one Lord and that we should worship that Lord with everything in us (Mark 12:28-31)!

By now you have heard about the Harry Potter children's books by J.K. Rowlings. They have quickly become the most successful children's books ever published. The first four books sold over 30 million copies and have been translated into 35 languages. You can sign up ahead of time to preorder the next book at the local book store and at the last book's release Fed Ex had to assign 9,000 trucks just to deliver the pre-sold copies around the United States. They are being heralded by just about everyone as good and fitting reading for our children and yet they are simply witchcraft dressed up in kid's adventures.

Let's briefly consider a few examples from just one book, the fourth one, entitled Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Page numbers are from American first editions. Here are some of the many occult practices found in the book:

Witchcraft, sorcery, spell casting, communicating with the dead, and astral travel (pgs 667-669).

Spells, charms, and hexes (pgs 244-245, 574, 620)

"Shape-shifting" -- transfiguration into another form through sorcery (pgs 522, 534)

Demonic creatures, dark sides of forces, spell books, and apparitions called up through cauldrons (pgs 128-129, 215, 623, 643, 660)

Evil powers "sucking out the soul" of humans (pgs 23, 703).

We could go on an on with each book, but the facts are that the Harry Potter's series has done more to introduce witchcraft and Wiccan practices to the world than any other media. The author reports receiving numerous letters from children wanting to enroll in the "Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizadry" that the lead character attends in the book and recently in an interview, Rowlings stated "many children think that the books are real." The British Pagan Federation reports that after every book is released and every time a new season of such witch-oriented movies and shows such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes out, that they are "flooded" with calls from young callers wanting to join the organization (BPF media officer, Andy Norfolk, says that the callers are usually girls and that they are turned down only because membership is limited to those of over eighteen years of age or older). In San Antonio, you can go into most major bookstore chains and purchase a "Teen Witch Kit" complete with a paper altar. The popularity of something does not mean that it is the right thing to do and we must remember what God thinks of such things:

It is impossible to list each and every occult practice that has permeated our society and is trying to find it's way into our lives. Here are some of the many things that we must guard against, lest we be found embracing something that God hates!

Astrology/Horoscopes

Palm Reading

Tarot Cards

Tea Leaf Readers

Fortune Tellers

Native American "Spiritists"

Transcendental Meditation

Yoga

Satanism

Spells/Incantations

Witchcraft

"Seers"

Mediums/Callers of the Dead/Séances

White Magic

Ouija boards

Books that present witchcraft in a positive sense through the story.

Movies that present witchcraft in a positive sense through the story.

Comic books and cartoons where "tapping into a higher power" and witchcraft are involved.

Computer games where "experience levels" are built up to help a character achieve a "higher spiritual power" and where the player casts spells and performs witchcraft through the role of the characters.

Numerology

Wearing or use of Crystals to "channel energy."

Wearing or trusting of Occult symbols such as the Upside down pentagram and yin/yang

Channeling spirits

Crystal balls

Psychics

We must guard ourselves lest we embrace and love the very side that is completely against truth and that is fighting against the one, true God that we serve!

That's good advice!