Cross Mission Media

🗝️In the Bible, familiar spirits are not just spooky forces—they are real demonic spirits that try to communicate with or through people. They love to disguise themselves through mediums, psychics, fortune-tellers, and those who practice witchcraft.

The word “familiar” means close, personal, or intimate. That’s exactly what makes them dangerous. These spirits don’t just show up once and disappear—they try to attach themselves to a person or even a family line, pretending to offer comfort or guidance while actually spreading deception and destruction.

1. What the Bible Says About Familiar Spirits

The term “familiar spirit” comes from the Hebrew word ’ôb (אוֹב), which refers to a spirit of the dead or a medium—someone who claims to call up the dead for secret knowledge.

But God clearly forbids this practice:

📖 Leviticus 19:31 (KJV)

“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

📖 Leviticus 20:6

“And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits… I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

God warns His people not to seek wisdom or comfort through such means because these spirits are not from Him.

2. What Familiar Spirits Do

Familiar spirits are imitators.

They pretend to be the voices of dead loved ones or heavenly beings to trick people into trusting them.

📖 Deuteronomy 18:10–12 tells us not to be involved with mediums, necromancers, or anyone who tries to communicate with the dead.

These practices open a spiritual door for demonic influence.

That’s why things like séances, psychic readings, and “talking to the dead” are dangerous—they invite deception from the enemy.

3. Example: The Witch of Endor

A clear example comes from 1 Samuel 28:7–20.

King Saul, desperate for answers, went to a woman who had a familiar spirit—commonly called the Witch of Endor.

She brought up what looked like the prophet Samuel, but this act broke God’s command.

Saul’s decision led to his downfall and death.

This story teaches us that even when something supernatural happens, it doesn’t mean it’s from God. Satan can disguise his works to look spiritual or comforting.

4. Why God Forbids Contact with Familiar Spirits

God forbids dealing with familiar spirits because they:

Lead people away from Him and into demonic deception (Isaiah 8:19). Pollute spiritual discernment, making it hard to tell truth from lies. Defile the soul, opening doors to spiritual danger.

📖 Isaiah 8:19

“When they say to you, ‘Seek those who have familiar spirits and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

God is saying: Come to Me—not to the dead—for truth and guidance.

5. The New Testament View

The phrase “familiar spirit” doesn’t appear in the New Testament, but the same idea is found in references to:

Unclean spirits (Mark 1:23–27) A spirit of divination (Acts 16:16) — the girl who could predict the future through a demonic “python spirit” Deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1)

These are the same forces working under new names.

They masquerade as angels, ancestors, or guides, but their goal is always the same—to pull people away from the truth of Jesus Christ.

📖 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

6. The Right Response for Believers

The Bible gives us a clear path:

❌ Do not consult or entertain these spirits (Leviticus 19:31). ✅ Test every spirit to see if it’s from God (1 John 4:1). 🙏 Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7). 🔥 Rely on the Holy Spirit, who is the only true source of divine guidance (John 14:26; 16:13).