The Bible forbids any attempt to contact the dead. This includes seeking messages, signs, or guidance from deceased individuals. Such practices are consistently associated with paganism, spiritual rebellion, and demons/”>demonic deception.
God’s command to Israel was clear. Deuteronomy 18:11–12 says:
“There shall not be found among you… one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord.”
The dead are not available for communication. According to Ecclesiastes 9:6:
“Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.”
Once a person dies, their soul goes immediately to either comfort or torment. Luke 16:22–26 records Jesus’ teaching about Lazarus and the rich man. There, Abraham tells the rich man:
“Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.”
This passage shows that the dead are not free to return or communicate. Attempting to do so is not only futile but spiritually dangerous.
Any apparent contact with the dead is a deception. Demons can impersonate human voices or appear in familiar forms to mislead people. This is why seeking after such experiences is forbidden. God wants His people to trust His Word, not pursue forbidden knowledge.
Isaiah 8:19 gives a direct rebuke to those who seek the dead for answers:
“Should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”
Christians are to reject all forms of necromancy, séances, or spiritualist practices. True guidance comes from God, through His Word and by His Spirit.
