The Occult, part 1: What is the Occult?

part 2

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. (10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, (11) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. (12) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

The terms in this passage probably seem archaic and quaint to most people today. One may think of them as being practiced today only by the most isolated indigenous people. So it might come as a surprise when I say that not only do these practices continue today in modern society, they are on the rise, and many times they are renamed to sound more acceptable to the modern, scientific ear.

The word occult comes from the Latin words occultus and occulere, which mean hidden, to hide. Although it has become synonymous with a variety of seemingly diverse groups and techniques, it will become apparent that they all come from the same source.

"The word has come to denote that which is hidden from the uninitiated, which is imperceptible by normal senses, and thus refers to various magical and divinatory beliefs and practices, beginning with astrology, tarot, palmistry, numerology and other divinatory arts and especially including various forms of spirit contact— Spiritualism (and the various forms of mediumship), magic, and witchcraft. It also applies to specific practices such as the prediction of the future, exploring past lives (reincarnation), casting spells, and psychokinesis (mind over matter)."
(from the Occultism and Parapsychology Encyclopedia (OPE), found at Answers.com)

If we examine this list and compare it to Deuteronomy 18, we can see that they are generally speaking of the same things. Eric Barger highlights the nine forbidden practices of the occult found in Deut. 18 and expounds on them in his article by the same name:

1) Human Sacrifice (making children pass through the fire) – We call that abortion today!

2) Divination – The Heart of the occult. Manipulation from demonic sources.

3) Astrology (observer of times) – We either trust God or the Zodiac but not both!

4) Enchanter – Someone satanically endowed to produce seductive spells.

5) Witchcraft and Witches – Includes its modern, organized counterpart, Wicca.

6) Charmer – One who manipulates objects or beings via demonic power.

7) Consulter with Familiar Spirits – One who gleans knowledge from demonic contact.

8) Wizards – Practitioners of magical arts

9) Necromancers – Those who claim to be in contact with the dead.

Does the Bible Mention the Occult?

First I want to go back to the word occult itself. It means "something hidden." We can specify that definition to be "hidden knowledge only available to those who are initiated into certain elite groups by various secret techniques." The OPE notes that occult is "the opposite of apocalypse, that which is revealed." The Bible does mention “secret things” and “hidden things.” Some of these things, the Lord has chosen to reveal to us in His Word. Others have remained hidden for good reason.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; (2) But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

In these three verses, the Greek word used for “hidden things” in 1 and 2 Corinthians is kruptos. It is the same word used in the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint) for “secret things” in Deuteronomy 18. The intention of those involved in the occult is to manipulate this hidden knowledge for whatever reason. This actually goes all the way back to the garden of Eden where the serpent deceived Eve into believing that God had hidden from her the fact of her own divinity.

Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

These occult practices lead people into the same lie; in fact the goal of many of them is to realize our own divinity! This is exactly what Oprah Winfrey and many of her guests (such as Marianne Williamson and Eckhart Tolle) have been teaching. The Lord willing, I plan to post more on this subject and go into more detail. I also want to give examples of how many church leaders are promoting some of these unbiblical practices...

Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, (2) I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

part 2