In this book we are attempting to expose the workings of Satan and the occultic realm by looking at what the Bible says about the subject In doing this, it is our desire to give a balanced picture of the situation and to avoid sensationalism.

WHAT IS THE OCCULT?

The word "occult" comes from the Latin word "occultus" and it carries the idea of things hidden, secret, and mysterious.  David Hoover, author of How to Respond to the Occult (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1977), fists three distinct characteristics of the occult:

1.    The occult deals with things secret or hidden.

2.    The occult deals with operations or events which seem to depend on human powers that go beyond the five senses.

3.    The occult deals with the supernatural, the presence of angelic or demonic forces.

 Under the designation occult we would

class at least the following items: witchcraft, magic, palm reading, fortune-telling, ouija boards, tarot cards, satanism, spiritism, demons, and the use of crystal balls.  To this list we could add much more.

 A WORD OF WARNING

We realize that by informing people about the world of the occult, we will be exposing certain people to things and practices of which they have previously been ignorant.  It is not our desire to stimulate one's curiosity in the realm of the occult to where it becomes an obsession.  Seeing that mankind has a certain fascination about evil, it would be wise to take the advice of the Apostle Paul, "I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil" (ROM. 16:19).

   Playing around with the world of can lead to serious repercussions, both psychologically and spiritually.  There is a difference between knowing intellectually that taking poison will kill you and actually taking the poison to experience what you already knew to be a fact.  We need to be aware of the workings of the satanic realm but not to the point of unhealthy fascination, obsession, or involvement.

THE SUPERNATURAL DOES EXIST

We live in a day when people are looking for answers to life's basic questions, "What is the purpose of life?"; "Is there life after death?"; "Is there evidence for the existence of a supernatural God?"

According to the Bible there is a supernatural warfare going on: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).

This ongoing spiritual battle is between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.  One purpose of Jesus Christ's coming to earth was given to us by the Apostle John, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

Although the Scriptures make it clear that the supernatural is real and that spiritual warfare is going on, there are those who would like to demythologize the accounts of the devil, demons, and demon possession.  They contend that the supernatural references in the Bible are from a prescientific, superstitious worldview.  However, if one takes the supernatural out of the Bible, all the meaning goes out with it.  John Montgomery, dean of the Simon Greenleaf School of Law and leading contemporary theologian, comments:

 One of my theological professors used to state flatly that the demonic in the New Testament was to be regarded as symbolic (of evil, psychosis, disease, etc.), and he became quite agitated when I asked him whether we should also regard Jesus as symbolic (of the good, of mental and physical health, etc.) since in the narrative of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness a dialogue takes place between Jesus and the devil-both evidently regarded as having comparable reality or unreality!  This points up the difficulty with demythologizing of the satanic in the New Testament: They are integrally bound up with the reality of Jesus and His entire message (John Warwick Montgomery, Principalities and Powers, Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1973, pp. 54,.55).

 Those who would strip away the so-called myths from the Scripture are left with an empty gospel, devoid of any life-transforming power.  In answer to such critics, we respond with the truth and rational claims of the whole gospel-including Satan's war against it and 'God's supernatural intervention and ultimate triumph.  The world occult is real, and God's all-powerful is just as real!

OCCULTIC DECEPTION

Although we admit the reality of the supernatural, we must be careful not to place all unexplained phenomena into the supernatural category There is much that goes on under the guise of the supernatural that is nothing but fakery This pseudo-occult phenomenon has fooled many people into believing in its legitimacy.

 In an excellent book entitled The Fakers, Danny Korem and Paul Meier expose much of this phenomenon that is taken to be supernatural.  They explain the difference between what is real and what is actually deception:

What is the difference between occult and pseudo-occult phenomena?  Occult phenomena are phenomena of or relating to supernatural agencies, their effects, and knowledge of them.  An example which many people consider a manifestation of occultic powers is demon possession.  While the manifestation is visible, the force behind it is not.  We can see the effects of a possession, but we cannot see the demon perpetrating the manifestation.  Pseudo-occult phenomena are events which appear to be caused by secretive, supernatural powers and yet are brought about by physical or psychological means.

  One purpose of this book is to point out the difference between the occult and pseudo-occult.  There is a great danger in treating both on equal ground.  One man who had reportedly performed the act of exorcism on several demon-possessed individuals tried his hand on a young teenager.  The man strapped the young lady to a chair to prevent her from harming herself and proceeded with his ritual.  It turned out that the girl was not demon possessed but was schizophrenic and needed the help of a trained psychiatrist.  The girl, obviously terrified by the trauma, was left in worse shape than when she first went to see the man in question (Danny Korem and Paul Meier, The Fakers, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1980, pp. 15, 16).

 Needless to say, caution must be exercised before assuming some unexplained phenomenon is demonic.  While not all Christian writers would place certain phenomena under the category of deception, as do Korem and Meier, the latter clearly demonstrate the need for restraint in attributing many unexplained phenomena to the occult.

 THE OCCULT EXPLOSION

We five in a day when occult activity is rapidly increasing.  Martin Ebon, former administrative secretary of the Parapsychology, Foundation, and the author of The Satan Trap and Dangers of the Occult, gives his assessment of the upswing of interest in occult phenomena:

         Occult practices and psychic phenomena exercising a hold on millions of Americans today. . .

Two mass stimuli have contributed to this trend.  One is the drug cult, which causes an interest in such matters as a "non-drug high, " to be sought in meditation and similar practices, as well as in confirmation of the drug-induced feeling that mind may control matter or events.  Second, a series of highly popular motion pictures created successive waves of occult or pseudo-occult involvements.  With Rosemary's Baby, which pictured the birth of a diabolic infant, came an upswing in witchcraft practices; with The Exorcist, demonic possession and exorcism were dramatized to a public of -millions; other films and television shows have dealt with similar themes ("The Occult Temptation, " by Martin Ebon, The Humanist, January/February, 1977).

 It is evident that occult beliefs have now penetrated every web of our society.  From the media to grocery stores, one cannot turn without encountering some type of occultic literature or influence.  One can find horoscopes for weight loss and horoscopes for a better sex life.

WHY IS THERE SUCH AN INTEREST IN THE OCCULT?

With the alarming rate at which people are becoming involved in the occult, the inevitable question of "why" comes up: Why do people who live in this enlightened age with

all the marvelous scientific and technological advances become involved in occultic practices?  We believe there are several factors that have contributed to the rise of occult popularity.

The secularization of Christianity In recent years there has been a denial of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith from those occupying a position of leadership in the church.  This leaves a greater spiritual vacuum in the world which invites people who have spiritual needs to go elsewhere to have them satisfied.  Moreover, some of these church leaders who have forsaken the gospel have themselves become practitioners of the occult, causing a follow-the-leader mentality in many former churchgoers.

  The classic example would be the Episcopal bishop, James Pike, who rejected church's belief in the deity of Christ, virgin birth, and other central truths.  After the suicide death of his son, Pike began consult mediums, including the fame Arthur Ford, in an attempt to contact spirit of his dead son.  Pike became a firm believer in life after death from his occultic involvement rather than from biblical doctrine and took many people with him into the dark world of the occult.  When the church "waters down" the gospel of Christ, the door to occultic practice swings wide open.

Curiosity.  There is a certain mystery about the occult that appeals to our curiosity.  Many who get involved in occult practices do so by starting out with so-called "harmless" practices such as reading horoscopes or using a Ouija board.  They afterward proceed into deeper involvement because of an increasing curiosity.  Buzzard comments upon this fascination:

 Our age seems to have a deep fascination with evil, the bizarre, and the inexplicable.  It thrives on horror and repulsion.  What makes one faint or vomit or experience nightmares has a kind of magnetic charm.  Mary Knoblauch summed up this fascination in commenting on The Exorcist.- "Perhaps the most frightening thing about The Exorcist is that thirst for and fascination with evil that lies buried in us all, surfacing with savage swiftness at the right incarnation." The moment of that incarnation seems to be upon us.  What was buried has arisen and dances unashamedly in the streets (Lynn Buzzard, Introduction to Demon Possession, edited by John Warwick Montgomery, Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1976, pp. 17, 18).

Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for this curiosity about the occult.  The occult is not something neutral that an individual can get in and out of without any adverse effects.

In his book Kingdom of Darkness, E W Thomas r-elates a story of a man-and-wife journalistic team who desired to investigate the occult in London.  They joined a satanic group to obtain firsthand information, but eventually withdrew because of the frightening things they observed.  Their fives were never the same.  They were troubled by many terrible experiences and incidents.

Thomas concluded, "Such was the experience of an unwise couple whose curiosity for black magic dragged them through untold anguish and despair.  One cannot just pick up the dark bolts of magical fire and drop them at will without getting burned.  There is always a price to pay for use of these forbidden powers, in this world as well as in the world to come" (F W Thomas, Kingdom of Darkness, cited by Clifford Wilson and John Weldon, Occult Shock and Psychic Forces, San Diego: Master Books, 1980, pp. 13, 14).

 The occult offers reality.  There is a reality in the occultic experience that attracts many people to it.  All of us desire some sort of ultimate answer for life's basic questions, an the world of the occult gladly supplies answers.  The astrologist will chart your future The Ouija board promises you direction, and the medium talking to the spirit of your dead relative informs you that things are fine in the next world.

 Since these occultic practices do reveal some amazing things, the practitioner is lulled into thinking that he has experienced ultimate reality and no longer needs to continue his search for truth.  The spiritual vacuum is filled by means of a spiritual experience, not with God, but often from the very pit of bell.

 THE BIBLE AND THE OCCULT

The Bible categorically denounces any and all occultic practices:

When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations.  There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritualist, or one who calls upon the dead.  For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you.  You shall be blameless before the Lord 'your God.  For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so (Deut. 18:9-14).

 In the same manner, the New Testament condemns such workings (Gal. 5:20).  In the city of Ephesus many who were practicing in the occult became believers in Jesus Christ and renounced their occultic practices.  "Marry also of those, who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all . (Acts 19:19).

Another encounter with the occult can be seen in Acts 13:6-12:

And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence.  This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.  But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.  But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?  And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.  " And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.  Then the proconsul believed when he saw what happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

The false prophet who called himself Bar-Jesus (Son of Jesus) was actually trying to keep the governor, Sergius Paulus, from becoming a believer, and the judgment of blindness on this man was immediate.  Walter Martin makes some astute observations on the passage by fisting five characteristics of those who oppose God:

1.    They are in league with Satan and possess certain supernatural powers.

2.    They are false prophets.

3.    They seek to influence people politically and ecclesiastically, particularly those in positions of power (verses 6, 7).

4.    They attempt to prevent those who are seeking to hear the Word of God from learning it by opposing those who preach it (verse 8).

5.    They deliberately attempt to divert prospective converts from the faith (verse 8) as their ultimate goal (Walter Martin, The Maze of Mormonism, Santa Ana, CA: Vision House Publishers, Inc., 1977, pp. 216, 217).