Familiar Spirits Bible Study
(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)
NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Be blessed.
Introduction
With the increasing acceptance of television programs like “Ghost” and advertisements like the “Psychic Hotline” and the availability of weekly horoscopes, Satan is successfully influencing Christians (and non-Christians) to seek information and guidance about their lives, their dead family members, and the afterlife from a counterfeit source – spiritualism. Many television shows have shown innocent people going to fortune tellers to try and discern what is going to happen to them or what has happened to their dead loved ones. All of these so-called “innocent” acts open the door for demonic spirits to enter into our lives. Scripture is clear…
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, (11) or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (12) For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
In this lesson we will examine closely what familiar spirits are and how they can be invited into our lives by accepting the “entertainment” that Satan has set before us. Notice I used the term “entertainment” because that is really how Satan positions his devices to lead us astray.
Before we get into the lesson, I want to share a personal story with you that a family member who was present during the event shared with me. I am intentionally keeping the names of the individuals and their relationship to us private. Several years ago, a family member became sick and woke up one morning unable to walk. The day before, the person was fine and had no health issues at all. But the next morning, he awakened paralyzed and could not walk. His father, a Christian minister, believed that the individual’s spouse had put a spell on him. So, he enlisted the person’s sibling to assist him in taking the person to another fortune teller in an attempt to get the spell removed. When they walked into the room, the fortune teller looked at the three of them and immediately focused her attention on the sibling who was not paralyzed – not the person who had been brought to her to remove the spell that had been placed on him.
She looked at the sibling and asked her if she were a minister. The sibling responded that while she was not a minister, their father, who was present, was a minister. Now pay close attention to what the fortune teller told this person next. She said, and I quote, “We know him, but you should not be here because I can see the glory of God all around you.” Although their father was a minister, this fortune teller looked at the sibling and told her that she could see the glory of God around her and for that reason she should not be there.
I want you to keep this story in mind because, as I said, the story was shared personally with me by this sibling, a very close family member. Also, remember that authentic fortune tellers operate under the influence of familiar spirits, so let’s talk about what they are.
Familiar Spirits
Before we get into the meat of the lesson, we want you to understand this simple truth: the living cannot speak to or interact with the dead. The Bible is unwavering on this truth. We are going to read a few passages to help establish this truth in your hearts and minds. But before we do, let me say this: if the Bible is not your sole standard for judging and evaluating what you see and what you hear in life, then you may disagree with what it says about the living communicating with the dead and whether or not you agree with the Bible will be between you and God.
The first passage to establish this truth is Ecclesiastes 9:4-6. It says, “(4) For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. (5) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. (6) Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6) Now turn to Job 7:9-10. “(9) As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. (10) He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.” (Job 7:9-10)
Based on these two passages, and there are many more we could read, we see that a person who has died does not know anything as it relates to the realm of the living. The dead also no longer have a portion forever in the land of the living. The word portion means the person who is dead no longer takes part in anything related to the living. And we also see that the person who has died will never come back from the grave or enter his house again. Now look at Psalm 115:17. “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.” With these opening verses, we are establishing at the beginning of this lesson the immutable Biblical truth that no one ever returns from the dead.
Familiar spirits are evil spirits that impersonate people who have died. They “assume or act in the character of the person” who is no longer alive. These spirits are so convincing at “recreating” for example, the person’s speech patterns, that those who seek them out will believe that they are interacting with the person who has died. These spirits attach themselves to “mediums” and to individuals who give them permission to operate in their lives. They are fallen angels, spirit beings, who cannot die. They have been roaming the earth since they rebelled against God and were banished from heaven. They are called familiar spirits because they are familiar with the lives of people who have died and are familiar with the lives of those who are alive right now. Therefore, they can answer very specific questions about you, your loved ones and anyone else – if given the opportunity. However, we must not be fooled. It is not our loved ones who are speaking. It is the spirit that is familiar with them.
Information about anyone and anything that has been manifested and is known in the natural or senses realm, the world that we see every day, is accessible to Satan’s knowledge. Familiar spirits are aware of the things that have happened in a person’s life. As we pointed out earlier, they impersonate the dead. And this is a point that we will repeat throughout this lesson. Satan can counterfeit anyone and anything that is known in the natural realm. The one truth to always keep uppermost in your mind: Satan never produces the genuine. He only produces its counterfeit. A counterfeit resembles the genuine so perfectly that only a qualified person in that field can distinguish between the real and the fake. That’s why Satan’s deceit, his lies, are so effective. He can imitate and counterfeit anything as long as he’s familiar with the original.
Do you remember the scene in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy meets Professor Marvel? They are sitting at a table, and he is about to tell her what he sees in his crystal ball. But before he does, he has Dorothy close her eyes and he finds a photograph of her aunt in her purse. As he was telling Dorothy what he was seeing in his crystal, he began to tell her some things that would be familiar to her. He describes what he sees in the photograph, and based on that, Dorothy says he is talking about their farm and her aunt. Professor Marvel did this to make her believe that he was really seeing the farm and her aunt. And, ladies and gentlemen, that is important, and I want you to remember that. He convinces Dorothy, because of the photograph he “could see” in his crystal, that she needed to get back home because her aunt needed her. Do you remember the story? Do you remember the scene? Both are important. The Bible is very clear that we are not to interact with anyone involved with familiar spirits. This is why the fortune teller told my family member that she was not supposed to be in her presence. She knew that sibling was not supposed to be there! Leviticus 19:31 says, “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” The word regard means “to not turn toward.” We could read it this way: “Turn not to those who have familiar spirits.” And the word seek means “to really go after them and do your best to find them.” That’s the broad way of looking at the term. This is the first reference to familiar spirits and the Bible says don’t go looking for them. Interacting with someone who has a familiar spirit defiles us. When we seek out a person with a familiar spirit, we are putting our eternity in jeopardy. That’s what the word defiled communicates. When we are defiled, we are at odds with God!
God also says in Leviticus 20:6, “And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.” God gave this warning to Moses pertaining to any individual who chose to seek the counsel of a familiar spirit. God sees the person who seeks answers from a familiar spirit as prostitutes. And when that happens, God says He will turn His face against that person and will cut that person off. In other words, the person will not spend an eternity with Him. That person will spend eternity in the lake of fire. We want you to see the Amplified Bible’s rendering of Leviticus 20:6. “The person who turns to those who have familiar spirits and to wizards, [being unfaithful to Israel’s Maker Who is her Husband, and thus] playing the harlot after them, I will set My face against the person and will cut him off from among his people [that he may not be included in the atonement made for them].”
Satan uses familiar spirits to get people to believe that once a person dies, he is not dead but, in fact, can still be communicated with “from the other side.” Familiar spirits know about our past (people, places, things, etc.) and the information they provide focuses on the past and on past events so that they can influence our future.
When people believe what they hear from psychics or in séances, they are opening the door to demonic influences who can fulfill what they hear when interacting with them. Think about it this way: if a familiar spirit tells you that tomorrow you will be given $1000, Satan can make this happen so that you will further put your trust in that spirit and believe what he says. The same applies to people putting their faith in their horoscope. Some people will not start their day until they have read their horoscope to see what type of day they will have not realizing that they are yielding their lives to a power that is not of God. When people attempt to contact the dead, familiar spirits will always use something that is unique to the person they are attempting to contact. Oftentimes it is something that only the person would know about the dead person.
This makes the individual think he or she is really hearing from the dead. Ultimately, familiar spirits are doing the will of their master – Satan – who Jesus describes in John 8.44 as a “murderer from the beginning,” a spirit who “abodes not in the truth,” and “a liar, and the father of it.” Now before we get into the next part of the lesson, which focuses on Saul and the woman of Endor in First Samuel 28, let’s read one more verse from Leviticus 20 in reference to those who are vessels for familiar spirits. “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:27) If there are any doubts about how God feels about men and women who allow familiar spirits to operate through them, this verse should remove it. They must die. If people who have submitted themselves to these abominations are to be put to death, do you think the judgment for those who seek after them will be different?
For the remainder of this lesson, we are going to focus on the only detailed account of the operation of a familiar spirit that is found in Scripture – Saul and his interaction with the woman of Endor in First Samuel 28.
Saul Seeks Out A Medium of Endor
Now before we read First Samuel 28, we need a little background. In chapter 15, God instructs Saul through the prophet Samuel to wipe out the Amalekite people. He tells him to kill the king, every man, every woman, every child, and every animal. The Lord’s instruction was clear: if it breathed, it had to die. Saul did not do what the Lord commanded him to do. In First Samuel 15:22 we read how the Lord responded to Saul’s disobedience. “So Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (First Samuel 15:22) What was God’s issue with Saul? Saul didn’t do what God had told him to do. Now verse 23. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” (First Samuel 15:23)
Now jump down to verse 35, a crucial verse that we need to see. “And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death….” In First Samuel 16, Samuel anoints David as king of Israel. We will read verses 13 and 14 and then we will pick up First Samuel 28 with verse 3. “(13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (14) But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.” (First Samuel 16:13-14) We needed to provide this background so that you will understand more fully what we are going to read in First Samuel 28, beginning with verse 3.
“(3) Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.” Samuel is dead and, according to passages that the dead cannot communicate with the living as we read earlier in Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 and Job 7:9-10. Let’s read them again. Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 says, “(4) But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. (5) For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. (6) Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished: nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6) Now Job 7:9-10. “(9) As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. (10) He shall never return to his house, nor shall his place know huim anymore.” (Job 7:9-10) What we see in these two passages is a simple truth: once a person is dead, there is no coming back from the grave. Now, let’s continue with verse 4.
“(4) Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. (5) When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.” Why was Saul afraid? Turn back to First Samuel 16 and let’s read verse 14 again. “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.” Now why is this important. Let’s read the promise that God makes to Israel in Deuteronomy 20 whenever they were about to go out to battle. “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 20:1) Since the Spirit of the Lord was no longer with Saul, neither was His presence and protection, and Saul knew this.
(6) And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.” Let’s pause for a moment. Israel and Philistia were once again facing each other. By this time, Saul was in his sixties having reigned as king in Israel for 40 years (Acts 13:21). Saul, upon seeing the army of the Philistines, became afraid and asked God for guidance. However, God did not answer him by dream, by Urim (a symbol worn by the priest when seeking the will of the Lord for Israel) or by the prophets. Why didn’t God answer Saul? Saul had rebelled against Him when he did not carry out His instructions to wipe out the Amalekites in First Samuel 15 by killing every single man, woman, child, and animal, which we covered in some detail in Part 4 of the lesson on fear. God had removed His Spirit from Saul as we read earlier in First Samuel 16. Let’s continue reading.
“(7) Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.’ And his servants said to him, ‘In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.’ (8) So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, ‘Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.’ (9) Then the woman said to him, ‘Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?’ (10) And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, ‘As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.’ (11) Then the woman said, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’ And he said, ‘Bring up Samuel for me.’”
Let’s pause again for a moment. Saul wanted to know if Israel would defeat the Philistines. In the past, Saul would seek the Lord’s counsel and receive guidance through dreams, the priests or Samuel the prophet. But because of his disobedience, and not completely destroying the Amalekites, the Lord had removed his blessing, anointing and presence from Saul and had given it to David, Israel’s future king. In his desperation for information, Saul sought out a medium, contrary to the law of God, further separating himself from God. He disguised himself so the woman would not know him and to make her free to inquire of the familiar spirit.
Also, because he had banned those with familiar spirits (verse 3), he didn’t want Israel to see him consulting with such a person. Also notice that Saul asked the woman to “bring up for me the one I name.” Saul knew he was inquiring of a familiar spirit and not of God, for God had ceased to answer him by any means. Saul not only broke the law by seeking a medium with a familiar spirit, but he broke it again when he vowed to protect her. In Exodus 22:18 God said, “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” Saul wanted to contact Samuel who had anointed him king and had given him advice before he rebelled against God. Samuel had been dead now for at least two years. Since God would not answer him through normal means, Saul hoped to get answers through a demon who imitated Samuel.
“(12) When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, ‘Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!’ (13) And the king said to her, ‘Do not be afraid. What did you see?’ And the woman said to Saul, ‘I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.’ (14) So he said to her, ‘What is his form?’ And she said, ‘An old man is coming 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 down.”
Samuel was dead. The woman did not see him. She saw a familiar spirit impersonating Samuel. The same thing happens today. (We will share shortly how we know the woman did not see Samuel.) Also of note: the woman learned who Saul was by the familiar spirit who possessed her. Saul asked the woman to describe what she saw and once he heard the description, he “perceived” that it was Samuel. The word means Saul “understood” it was Samuel based on the woman’s description of what she saw. Saul never saw him with his own eyes. Let’s finish this up. Throughout the remainder of this chapter, when we read Samuel it is the spirit who is impersonating him. “(15) Now Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ And Saul answered, ‘I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.’”
Let’s pause here and ask a question. If God said Israel was to have nothing to do with familiar spirits, wizards or anything that is an abomination to Him, why would He allow Samuel to talk to Saul through an abomination? “(16) Then Samuel said: ‘So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? (17) And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. (18) Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. (19) Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.’” (First Samuel 28:3-19)
The familiar spirit convincingly impersonates Samuel in form, knowledge, and prophecy. Saul confessed what was troubling him and why he sought out the spirit. The familiar spirit knew that God had departed from Saul. The familiar spirit prophesied that Israel would lose the battle and Saul and his sons would die. How did he know this? He knew that Saul and Israel no longer had God to protect them. Saul’s rebellion in First Samuel 15 led to his death, the death of his sons and the army of Israel that we see in First Samuel 30. This demon knew that Israel would be defeated, and that Saul would die because he knew about the events recorded in First Samuel 15.
Remember what Jesus said about Satan in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy….” Saul died the next day, but he did not go where Samuel was. He truly went to where the familiar spirit was. First Chronicles 10:13-14, which describes the events from God’s perspective says, “(13) So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. (14) But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” (First Chronicles 10:13-14)
Proof That it Was Not Samuel
The average person reading this story could walk away believing that the medium had truly brought Samuel up from the dead. How can we be sure that it was not Samuel, but a familiar spirit? Based on what we have seen in this passage, there are at least 10 keys identified in First Samuel 28 that inform us that Saul did not have a conversation with Samuel.
1. God would not answer Saul contrary to Scripture. God did not answer Saul by dreams and visions, Urim or by prophets because he had departed from him and had taken the Holy Spirit away from him (Verses 6, 15-16). If God had refused to answer him by the means He had established, He certainly would not answer contrary to it. If He would not answer by the Holy Spirit, He certainly would not answer by a demon spirit seeking to imitate Samuel.
2. It clearly states Saul sought information from a demon, a familiar spirit. God had refused to answer him, so he sought an alternative way to get the information he desired. He wanted a witch that had a familiar spirit to inquire of her. The word seek in this verse means “to search out, strive after.” In essence, he told his servants to find a person who had a familiar spirit no matter how long it took. The KJV Bible translates verse seven as, “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….”’ His request was for her to divine by familiar spirit.
3. The Bible teaches that familiar spirits imitate or impersonate the dead. The Bible plainly teaches that communication with the dead are demon spirits masquerading as departed loved ones (Verses 7-19; Deuteronomy 18:11.) Also, Isaiah 8:19 says, “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?’”
4. We are commanded not to interact with demons. It is commanded in scores of scriptures not to interact with, seek counsel or communicate with the dead. God would not allow Samuel to communicate with Saul through a medium.
5. The familiar spirit impersonated Samuel. The seeming appearance of Samuel to the medium was simply the familiar spirit imitating and impersonating him (First Chronicles 10:13-14). When it appeared that Samuel was speaking to Saul, it was the demon speaking; it would know about both Samuel and Saul and their past relationship. Such a demon could also make predictions. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 records, “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, (2) and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’, which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ (3) you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Isaiah warned later that those who sought the dead were deceived by familiar spirits (Isaiah 8:19).
6. The demon told Saul that he would join him. The demon spirit practically revealed his identity when he said that Saul and his sons would be with him tomorrow. Saul went to the torment compartment of hades, whereas Samuel and the righteous dead went to the comfort side of the underworld of departed spirits (Abraham’s bosom.)
7. There is no Scriptural record of God communicating through demons. Saul inquired of a demon and was answered by one. In the Old Testament, God answered through dreams, Urim or the prophets. In the New Testament, He speaks through the Holy Spirit in different ways, but never through unlawful or unscriptural ways as we see here.
8. Saul’s death was a result of his sin. It is stated in First Chronicles 10:13-14 that Saul died for his previous sins and for sinning against the Word of the Lord (which forbade witches and communication with demons and for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit). Thus, it was a familiar spirit and not Samuel that he obtained his information.
9. Jesus taught the dead cannot communicate with the living. Jesus taught that it is impossible for the dead to communicate with living persons on earth and all scriptures about the state of the dead, and about heaven and hell confirm His teaching. There was an impassable gulf between the compartments so that the dead could not go from one place to the other, nor go back to the earth (Luke 16:26-31). The only case of any person leaving his place of confinement between death and resurrection is the case of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). But we must keep in mind that this was an act of God for the purpose of encouraging and strengthening Jesus for the final part of His journey to the cross. We can know with certainty that the spirit that Saul interacted with was not the spirit of Samuel and here’s the final reason.
10. Three details in verse 14 point to the truth that Saul did not speak to Samuel. The first detail: the woman described what she saw – “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” The woman described Samuel as an old man. When Saul asked the question, “What is his form?” had she responded with “a spirit,” Saul would not have assumed it was Samuel and we see this in the definition of the word form which means “shape, form, outline, figure, appearance.” His question indicated he needed to be sure it was Samuel.
The second detail: the woman said Samuel wore a mantle. But Samuel, who is dead and buried, would have had on burial clothes, not a mantle. Do you remember when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb in John 11:44? The verse reads, “And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” The familiar spirit impersonated Samuel and showed him as he was when he was alive, in his apostolic clothes and representing the Lord. The medium provided the information that led to the third detail found in this verse: Saul never saw Samuel. He perceived that the medium had indeed brought up Samuel based on her description of seeing an old man wearing a mantle.
Conclusion & Prayer
If you don’t believe that God is speaking into your life and you have been praying about something, don’t go searching somewhere else if you’re not hearing from God. Find out why you are not hearing from Him. The Lord demands holiness and anything that operates outside of holiness is an abomination to Him. If you seek counsel from any source other than the Holy Spirit, or a man or woman of God who is walking by the Holy Spirit, you are walking on dangerous ground. Your relationship with God is important. Keep it sweet. When you feel like you are in a dry place, hang in there and don’t give up. It will pass. It will pass. But always keep your eyes on Jesus and no one else.
