Séances: Can people who’ve died be contacted?

Our Bible tells us there was a time when Saul, the king of Israel, was unable to get an answer to his prayers. We find that he then took desperate measures to reach the prophet Samuel who had been God’s advisor to Saul before he had died.

1 Samuel 28:6-7

⁶ And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim [objects used by the high priest in ancient Israel to discern God’s will], nor by prophets. [Emphasis added]

These were all ways God used in that day to communicate with His people.  NONE of this legitimately happens today!  God’s words specifically TO US today come through the writings of the apostle Paul, the one called the apostle of the Gentiles.

Romans 11:13

¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I [Paul] am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]

1 Samuel 28 continued

⁷ Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. [Emphasis added]

This “familiar spirit” was a demon, what’s also known as a fallen angel.  These are angels that once rebelled against God along with Satan. Right before this Isaiah passage we’ll note, we need to realize that this passage began by talking about a king, but in verse twelve it transitions into talking about Lucifer, Satan.

Isaiah 14:12-15

¹² How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer [Here we are given two of Satan’s many names or titles.], son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations [promoting internationalism]!

This is then followed by what are sometimes called Satan’s Five I Wills.

¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

¹⁵ Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. [Emphasis added]

Here we see that it was never Satan’s goal to be the opposite of God but to be LIKE Him. Satan actually thought he could be like God.  

But the best he could do was to become the one who is now called “the god of this world.”

2 Corinthians 4:3-4

³ But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

⁴ In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [Emphasis added]

For more information concerning the truth about Satan that is so different from how he’s typically portrayed, please see my articles about him—

Satan: What does he look like?

Satan: Does he influence people?

Satan: What are the basics about him?

Satan: Did “the devil” make you do it?

Satan: Why does God allow him to exist?

Satan: What is his origin, name, and/or titles?

Satan: Who are the principalities and powers?

Satan: How is it that he gains advantage over us?

Satan: Can he blind people to the truth of the gospel?

Satan does everything he can to hide and distort the gospel message God gave the apostle Paul.  It appears that it is this activity that is his primary focus.  Has he succeeded? Not entirely, but very much so. This is a part of why the apostle Paul calls it “MY gospel.” Here’s the link to one of my articles about this—

Gospels:  What’s the difference in the two Paul talks about?

A big part of why Paul calls it this is to distinguish it from the one God gave Peter, called the gospel of the circumcision. You’ll find that the King James Version of the Bible has this translated correctly, but certain other ones do not. Yes, though unknown to them, Satan has even influenced people in the translations of the Bible.  This next verse we’ll note is a perfect example of that.

Galatians 2:7

⁷ But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; [Emphasis added]

Satan has worked to cause people to think there’s only one gospel discussed in the Bible.  But it is Galatians 2:7 that is one verse that clearly tells us otherwise. What so many don’t realize is that people can’t even be saved today by believing Peter’s gospel, the gospel of the circumcision.  I’ve discussed all this in numerous articles on this website.  Here are links to some of them—

Gospel: Is OUR gospel in “the four gospels?”

Gospel: Is ours in the gospels? II

Gospel: Where did the apostle Paul get the one he preached?

Gospel: Which gospel did the 12 apostles preach after the ascension?

Gospel: Which one is ours today?

Peter & Paul: Was their message the same?

Peter & Paul: Did they proclaim the same message?

I’ve given this so much coverage because of its extreme importance. If you’re not familiar with this, I hope you’ll soon investigate this matter.

A séance is an attempt to communicate with someone who has died. The word séance comes from the French word for “session,” from the Old French seoir, “to sit.” In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to supposedly receive messages from people who have died. In modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance. What people don’t realize when they’re conducting one of these is that it’s not the person they’ll communicate with but demons. What people also fail to realize is that Satan is known to be the father of liars.  What people hear at a séance is truth mingled with lies. Therefore, it is certain that they’ll be misled if they believe the information they get there.  Again, Satan and his angels [his demons] are all masterful liars.

The popularity of séances grew dramatically with the founding of the religion of Spiritualism in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps the best-known series of séances conducted at that time were those of Mary Todd Lincoln who, grieving the loss of her son, organized Spiritualist séances in the United States White House, which were attended by her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, and other prominent members of society. All this well illustrates how ignorant all these people were of the Bible.  The 1887 Seybert Commission report marred the credibility of Spiritualism at the height of its popularity by publishing exposures of fraud and showmanship among secular séance leaders. Modern séances continue to be a part of the religious services of certain churches. I know that may sound crazy, but it does go on.

It has always been a source of amazement to me to see what people will do when they are desperate.  That was the case with Saul.  The man appears to have lived in an ongoing state of fear and worry about all kinds of things.  Even though Saul resisted God’s will for his life, he knew that Samuel was a man of God and a person who would always speak the truth to him. So here he is in what appears to be a desperate situation, wanting Samuel to give him some guidance.  Like so many people today, the only time you may find them going to church and calling out to God in prayer is when they’re worried and afraid concerning certain things. The bottom line to the situation is that to them something’s “broke” and they want God to quickly “fix” it. The appropriate Scripture for Saul at this point is this verse—

Psalm 66:17-19

¹⁷ I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

¹⁸ If I [in this case Saul] regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will NOT hear me:

¹⁹ But verily God hath heard me [this actually being a psalm of King David]; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. [Emphasis added]

So, let’s review a bit and note Saul’s words in this attempted séance.

1 Samuel 28:7-25

⁷ Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

Apparently, Saul had executed all the male ones but allowed the female ones to live.

⁸ And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

Saul is concerned that this woman will recognize him as Israel’s king and not help him.

⁹ And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off [executed] those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

The word wizard is a word meaning one who knows. In this case it’s used to refer to one who supposedly knows what the dead think.

¹⁰ And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

Here Saul works to set this woman’s mind at ease.  He doesn’t want her to go into a fearful state of mind as she does this.  He’s doing everything he can to be sure what they’re about to do doesn’t get interrupted.  He desperately wants to speak to Samuel to get his advice regarding his present situation.

¹¹ Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

¹² And when the woman SAW Samuel [something that generally does not occur in a séance], she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for THOU art Saul.

¹³ And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

¹⁴ And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

Unlike ANY séance that’s ever been or will be, God interrupts this one.  Instead of just hearing a voice, God actually brought Samuel himself up to be a part of this.

¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

But what is the reality of this situation? WHO departed from whom? It was actually Saul who had done the departing.  But now he’s desperate.  Now he wants God’s man, Samuel, to help him.  Like so many people in every generation—the only time they get interested in God and His help is when they find themselves in what they believe are desperate circumstances.

¹⁶ Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

¹⁷ And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

Then note the fundamental reason this is occurring as it is—

¹⁸ Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.

Even though believers are not disciplined of God today as they once were, BAD decisions always produce BAD consequences.  For more information about divine discipline, please see my article about it—

Discipline: Does God punish Christians for their sins?

Now notice what Samuel tells Saul is about to happen to him and his army.

¹⁹ Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be WITH ME: the Lord also shall deliver the host [army] of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

²⁰ Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

²¹ And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.

²² Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.

²³ But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.

²⁴ And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:

²⁵ And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night. [Emphasis added]

Yes! What a story! And everything Samuel told Saul happened the following day.  Here’s the record of it—

1 Samuel 31:2-6

² And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.

³ And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

⁴ Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

People like Saul tend to die the way they lived—disgracefully.

⁵ And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

⁶ So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. [Emphasis added]

Conclusion—

What great lessons can we learn from all this?

• People who’ve died CANNOT be contacted by any means.

• Demons [fallen angels] can be contacted and lead people to believe they have contacted someone who’s died.

• We’ve been commanded to seek God and not to even try to contact the dead through a medium [a person who claims to communicate with spirits, particularly the dead, and act as an intermediary between the living and the spiritual realm] or in any way.

Isaiah 8:19

¹⁹ And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep [a high voice], and that mutter [a low voice]: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? [Emphasis added]

• The objective of the demons involved in a séance is to influence, gain control of and misdirect the parties involved.

• We should never be so foolish as to believe anything good can be gained through a séance.