The most obvious references to spiritual beings that are forbidden in the Bible to have anything at all to do with are presented here. Included in the Biblical references is how to avoid grief and destruction from those who traffick with them. This section gives the scriptural references to the warnings of God and some background on it after the brief introduction.
The Bible records the fact that God forbids worshipping gods and goddesses. God teaches that Jews and Christians are forbidden to have anything to do with divination, an enchanter, a charmer, a consulter with familiar spirits, a necromancer, consulting wizards, mediums astrologers, witches, or familiar spirits. Many people have the idea that as long as contact with the supernatural produces results that it must be from God. That is not true and the Bible teaches against the occult practices that existed in ancient times during the early years of the New Testament church and it still applies today. The Bible is not just another book. It is distinct in that it forbids having anything to do with the occult and was the first comprehensive record of law against it and record of the opposition to it. While religions and other cultures approved of bashing their children's brains out with mallets or burning them in fire as sacrifices to the gods the law introduced by Moses forbid these practices. The Middle Eastern suicide bombers boast that they love death more than Jews and Christians love life. That distinctive is part of what God was about in changing all of civilization through the Chosen People we call the Jews and through Christianity. The belief that death's rewards are greater than that of the rewards of life is a much different proposition than what we perceive it to be. The Judeao-Christian God promises a reward of life that is eternal and warns us that the choice of death offers no rewards. That choice of whether to play the game of life by God's rules or the rules of humankind comes through in the strictures against consorting with demons as well. The different planes of existence in the universe are still part of creation and the Bible teaches that these levels of existence will all pass away with the cessation of time. The difference seems subtle to us only because we do not see all of creation that exists and we forget the admonitions of God and the record of lessons from the past as recorded in the Bible. Death has no rewards in the time after one is departed from this earth. The promise of Death that honey-eyed virgins are eagerly awaiting suicide bombers after this life is a trick that may be believed but it is still a trick. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob promises life. The Bible says that there is enmity between Death and Life.
All people must choose Life or Death. It is a conscious choice. The Land of the Dead is a different existence than Life. The Bible calls the Land of the Dead "Sheol" and it is not a hole in the ground or the garbage dump that was usually characterized by fires burning all the time and called Gehenna. Women who practiced cult prostitution in the worship of Bel and Ashteroth would have babies and throw them into the garbage dump in a valley called Hinnom. That is where we get the word Gehenna as it was believed that demons inhabited this place where garbage and dead babies were discarded. It is an earthly metaphor for the Land of the Dead, a place that exists in the invisible. This place we live in is part of the visible creation and the place where women threw their babies away still exists but is not used for that anymore. Virgil and Dante visited the Land of the Dead in the Inferno. Does it look like the allegorical place described as Hell with all of its levels and different places of punishment? I don't know and Dante may not have either. The symbolic places of punishment in Greek mythology and the Inferno where the Shades abide until judgment gives us some idea of what may be going on in the invisible. Some pagans have the idea that the place people go after life here on earth is a great place and that there is no place that is less than being perfectly nice. In the subjective world of this creation, maybe it will seem like a party, but if it is the place that Death is in charge of, it may not be so great. The Bible teaches that God is the Giver of Life and Death cannot give Life. When sheep are being led to be slaughtered a "Judas goat" leads them up a ramp and it goes into a side compartment that closes quickly. The sheep continue on into the place where they will be slaughtered.
Christians look forward to being with God because that is where Life is, He is Life. The Land of the Dead is not the same place as the Kingdom of Heaven. The Land of the Dead is where people go to be slaughtered and it leads to eternal separation from God. The destruction of the soul is not a metaphor and it is something that occurs as a result of separation from God. God says that He is Salvation. People ask rhetorically what are we being saved from as if there is no answer. Whether we give an answer that is satisfactory to others or not, there is an answer. We are being saved from destruction. One suspects that the Land of the Dead is not a great place to be. Peter said that Jesus preached to the imprisoned spirits before He was resurrected. Some say that the division of the Land of the Dead into a nice place called Paradise and a place set aside for those waiting for destruction ended because of the First Advent of Jesus with the only place left as the holding place for those waiting for final destruction, the Land of the Dead. Jesus said that where He was going was His Father's place and there are many estates there and that He would prepare a unique place for each of His disciples. Christians call this place Heaven because it is the Third Heaven. People understand the atmosphere of the earth to be the First Heaven, the universe with all of the stars and galaxies is the Second Heaven. The Third Heaven transcends time, space, and matter and this is where God is. It is eternal as God is Eternal. The universe is not eternal and will end. The testimony of John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ to him is that those who choose Death will find destruction and even Death will be destroyed, with eternal separation from God. Somehow Death and all that is short of the substance of God will end with all of the universe at the end of time.
Paul explains the order of the way things will end:
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.
For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for "he subjected everything under his feet." But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him.
When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will (also) be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
I Corinthians 15:20-28 (NAB)
There are beings that are called spirits in the unseen world and the Bible acknowledges that readily. The world that we live in is real and we experience reality as it occurs. The fact that there are spirits who are fallen is not an excuse for the mistakes or willfully wrong choices that we make. A "new" brand of spiritual warfare teaches that we have spirits following us around making us do things that are wrong. If we disagree with someone and they do not like it they will say that we have a spirit of rebellion. If we get angry and show our anger, then we have a spirit of anger. If we look at a woman and express a lustful comment about her that is inappropriate we have a spirit of lust. You get the idea. Therefore we are to resist these spirits that make us do these things. This is a destructive heresy for several reasons. It releases us from taking personal responsibility for our actions and our accountability for our actions dissolves. If we get interested in the occult then it is automatically assumed that we inherited this predisposition for the dark side as a generational curse. It is just as likely, perhaps more likely that we get angry because of us alone or that we really do disagree with something that has been said or done. In any case, this misconception keeps us from actually confronting how we act and prevents us from practicing discipline so that we can learn to do better. It is also a way of denying trauma and abuse that actually happened to us and effects how we see things and do things.
Child abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse are common enough that many people suffer the effects of it. A rational and definable pathology will result in the life of the person that has been abused. Thinking that we do things or suffer from the crippling effects of abuse because a spirit has been assigned to us that makes us do the same things that were done to us prevents us from dealing realistically with the trauma. It denies us the chance to heal from the effects of abuse. Christian theology that explains things which have neither a spiritual cause or effect as being spiritual confuses people and causes a lot of suspicion of people who are health professionals. Denial of help to people who need someone who knows how to deal with the effects of being brought up in an unhealthy household by making everything a spiritual issue prevents people from deciding to confront unacceptable behaviors and stop doing them. If you get a deep cut on your arm the way to do something that will keep you from bleeding to death is not to rebuke an invisible spirit or inform a knife it has a spirit of cutting. It would be best to stem the flow of blood and get medical help by going to a hospital. That seems obvious, but the fact that we can suffer psychological harm is just as obvious and does not have only a spiritual effect. Taking the analogy a step further the cut on the arm may have resulted from a unique one time event that has nothing to do with spirits, past trauma, or how we view reality. In a case like that, once the arm is healed exorcisms and rebuking of spirits on a daily basis is ridiculous, madness, and unnecessary. If someone cut their arm to drain blood from it in a Satanic ritual and cut the arm too deeply it is still a good idea to go get help after stopping the flow of blood. The person may have just miscalculated and a spirit didn't cause him or her to cut it too deeply. It is probably safe to say that worshipping Satan would be a spiritual issue in this case. Even so, rebuking spirits is likely not to stop the blood from flowing or heal the arm. Routine abuse of a child will effect the behaviors of the child and how the child views reality, how the child responds to reality. Abuse of children or adults may become a portal to spirits that are from the dark side over time. Openly dealing with spirits from the dark side is certainly inviting spiritual trouble. Confusion develops as a result of some sins that we may choose to do and has definite spiritual results. The Bible indicates which sins are so damaging that spiritual trouble develops almost immediately or immediately. Thinking that eating hamburgers instead of veggie burgers will lead us into sin is a superstition on a par with some of the notions of people that fancy themselves as spiritual warriors.
The effects of chemical imbalances in our brain chemistry can lead to strange behaviors. The pressures brought to bear upon someone who suffers from abuse or a combination of circumstances may become so overwhelming that clinical depression is one of its effects. In time the person may become whole again after that pressure of daily trauma is removed. For whatever reasons some people do not recover their physical health enough to be free of such a chemical imbalance. It is not a matter of whether we believe we suffer from a pathology of clinical depression, if in fact we do. In the same way if we suffer from a chemical imbalance blaming it on a spirit of depression will do nothing to improve our health or our behaviors. There is no doubt that God may intervene and heal someone of a chemical imbalance. Still it serves no purpose to misunderstand the causality of the reason for how we feel and how we deal with reality. It seems that it is likely that if we have no idea of the difference between physical pathologies, psychological pathologies, and spiritual pathologies and lump everything as being spiritually caused no matter the reality that confusion and harm will result. Healing involves all three of these things because we are built that way. The Bible teaches that we have a body, a soul (psuche = psychology), and a spirit. The choices that we may make such as flooding the body with alcohol will have an effect on the body, have psychological effects, and spiritual harm will eventuate. While it may be difficult to stop drinking, that would be a great first step toward healing. Prayer for help to stop drinking is good to do as well, but praying about drinking is different from quitting. It would be a good idea to pray and make the choice to quit. If someone does not quit drinking and continues over a period of several decades the body will suffer harm and the soul will suffer as well as the spirit. At some point the body will cease to function as a direct result of drinking. Ignoring the effects of these things on our spirits allows harm as well. Alcohol is definitely an easy way to open ourselves to spiritual harm and to the dark side. While there are generational curses and some things may have a spiritual basis people should not overlook our actions may be the result of our choices independent of what our ancestors or family did.
Doesn't it make sense that if we drink everyday to the point we are blacking out or if we take some addictive drug that it might indicate we need to change what we are doing? Does it not make sense that if someone stops smacking his wife around every night while in a drunken stupor that the effects would be noticed by the wife quickly? If this seems reasonable, then maybe it could be seen as equally reasonable to consider a balanced life as consisting of knowing the difference between physical, psychological, and spiritual matters and how they effect one another in the lives of people. Spiritual warfare has a heady sound to it and a bit of spiritual pride can be involved or we may want to see everything as spiritual. Even so, it is necessary to keep in balance all of reality. Jesus healed people who had physical, psychological, and spiritual infirmities. The writers of the New Testament took the time to give examples of each. Jesus caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and lepers to be healed. He also cured people who were called lunatics and he drove demons from people. He said that people could rid demons from their lives by choosing to be rid of them. If the person does not change how they do things He said a demon could come back with seven more worse than it and set up shop in our lives again. Knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are things the Bible says we are to seek. We are to seek knowledge of God and full knowledge of God and if we do it is not at the expense of understanding or wisdom. If we seek God first and His Kingdom all of these things will be added to us. Our vantage point is improved by seeking God and His Kingdom and it has effects on the here and now. Some people seek to get a cash reward from formulae of different verse in the Bible or prove some point by misusing scripture. The Bible warns that we can take scripture for our destruction.
Searching the scriptures daily and learning what the Bible has to teach us is healthful. First it must be realized that the Bible is the direct revelation of God to us. It is not of private interpretation and cannot be understood except by the tutoring of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be understood if we do not read it. When I became a Christian, I first believed and then received the Holy Spirit. I did not understand the Bible before I became a Christian and I became one as an adult. I became a Christian 32 years ago. I received Faith and the Holy Spirit when I believed and it was instant and memorable. The idea that people who are Christians do not receive Faith or the Holy Spirit at that moment is an error. I will admit that we can ignore the Holy Spirit and that we can act in such a way that we ignore our Faith. I remember an evangelistic event that came to our town over ten years ago. I was taking tickets and a lady came towards me blessing the walls and the carpet. She immediately wanted to know where I went to church and I told her. She averred that it was not a spirit-filled church and I feigned ignorance of the implication and said I believed the Holy Spirit was there when I went. She told me what church she went to and gave that as proof of a church that is spirit-filled as opposed to mine. She asked if the preacher of my church was spirit-filled as she was under the impression that he is not. I said that he is spirit-filled and she was able to see that she was not able to get her point across effectively. The deal with her church is that you are not able to be filled with the Holy Spirit unless you speak in tongues. I decided not to provoke her into declaring me as a worker of the Devil and making a scene. The idea that people cannot know God if they do not speak in tongues and that the Bible is in error is a mistake. Spiritual warfare is a reality but making out as though someone is spiritually superior by virtue of pursuing that as an avocation is not in line with what the Bible says. In the same sense, some people have accomplished a lot, have a lot of money, certain talents, or certain spiritual gifts. Trying to control others, bully them, or make people think they are not "real" Christians because of these things is a misapplication of them. God accepts us as we are, regardless of limitations and we are accepted equally.
Spiritual warfare does not mean that we are to focus on Death and demons all the time. Paul says that we should think on the things of God, His Kingdom, and Him. We are to pray, have praise and thanksgiving for Him on our lips all the time. We can expect Him to bless us, rescue us, save our lives, protect us, provide for us, and restore our souls. God is more powerful than any forces of darkness and any person. He intends good for us, toward us, and to us. As Christians we can be certain that He sees us as worthy and precious and loved by Him. It is not due to our special attributes and accomplishments. It is because of Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and our giving our lives to Him as Him being Lord and Savior. There may be spiritual warfare that is real and present in our lives of one kind or another. Concentrating on evil and the things of the Devil is not what we are instructed to do. How we deal with people is intended to be according to the fruit of the spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is
against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:
walk as children of light:
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith,
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Ephesians 5:8-20 (KJV)
because of the truth that dwells in us and will be with us forever.
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son in truth and love.
II John 2-3 (NAB)
We are not to be advertisements for the Devil and the works of darkness, giving the Devil place unnecessarily. Paul says that we should not advertise for the Devil but speak in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to those who are of God. We would do well if we made a melody in our hearts to the Lord. The Holy Spirit is to lead us in how to walk everyday and Jesus is to be the arbiter in our hearts. We can understand the will of the Lord. If it is that we war against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high and it is, then we must all the more seek to concentrate on God through the Lord Jesus by His Holy Spirit. God and the things of God are what is important and should remain so.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9
In difficult times, the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we have the ability to fear no evil. David said:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 23:4-6
We are able to not fear evil because the Lord is with us, His name is Emmanuel, God is with us.
William MacDonald gives a good synopsis of these truths:
It is also true that we usually do not get dying grace until we need it. But the fact still remains that death has lost its terror for us because we know that dying means going to be with Christ—and this is far better. "To die is gain."
The Shepherd’s rod and staff are sources of comfort, protection, and guidance...2
The rod and staff signify, by the figure Metonymy of the Adjunct, whereby the sign is put for the thing signified, God’s care and defense. The shepherd carried two implements: the "rod," to help the sheep, and the "club," to destroy the sheep’s enemies.3
Psalm 23:5 In the meantime, the Shepherd prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. On the table are spread all the spiritual blessings which He purchased for us with His precious blood. The table pictures everything that is ours in Christ. Though surrounded by enemies, we enjoy these blessings in peace and security.
J. H. Jowett illustrates:
Eastern hospitality guarantees the security of the guest. "All the hallowed sanctions of hospitality gather around him for his defense. He is taken into the tent, food is placed before him, while his evaded pursuers stand frowningly at the door."4
When we think of all the riches of grace which we have in Christ Jesus, we burst forth with the grateful acknowledgment, "My cup runs over!"
His love has no limit,
His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men:
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
—Annie Johnson Flint
Psalm 23:6 Finally there is the secret of a happy eternity. Escorted through all of life by God’s goodness and mercy, we reach the Father’s house at last, our eternal dwelling place. As we think of it all, we have to agree with Guy King when he said, "What lucky beggars we are!"8
(ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™ Copyright© 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, A Division of Good News Publishers, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, USA. All Rights Reserved.
(NAB) The Holy Bible, The New American Bible, (Nashville, Tennessee: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) 1997.
(KJV) The Holy Bible, The King James Authorized Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
1, 3, 5, 7, 9Jerome H. Smith, editor, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge [computer file], electronic edition of the revised edition of The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1992 by Jerome H. Smith.
2, 4, 6, 8William MacDonald; edited with introductions by Arthur Farstad, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1995 by William MacDonald.