The Apostle Paul and Silas were in Philippi when a strange series of events began. Here is the account of what occurred:
“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities” (Acts 16:16–19).
There are some unusual things about this particular slave girl—apart from her fortune-telling. She was owned by multiple masters—a “syndicate” of sorts—and she was very profitable to them. Apparently, this was no ordinary fortune-telling, because she was actually able to “add value” for her clients—so much so that they were willing to pay her masters “much profit” for her information. When Paul removed her familiar spirit, her angry owners thought that he had damaged a very valuable asset, prompting them to take legal action.
It seems that the unclean spirit not only recognized Paul and Silas, but told the truth about them. And this spirit of divination also made a lot of money for the girl’s investors. Are all unclean spirits bad for you? Yes, very bad for you! Is it possible to profit from such a spirit—or at least, to get useful information? It may seem so, but it will be bad for you. In recent times, we have seen an increase in demonic activity in the U.S. and abroad. The Roman Catholic Church is reporting a “surge” in demonic possessions, particularly in Rome.
Rome is gearing up for what it sees as an impending major conflict. We read, “The Catholic Church is quietly preparing for an unparalleled episode of spiritual warfare, training more clergy to meet the inexplicable but steadily increasing demand for exorcisms. Church officials say a rise in materialism and pop obsession with the occult is to blame” (“Worldwide Demonic Possession on the Rise, Church Prepares for Spiritual Warfare.” Catholic.org, January 7, 2014).
The Vatican also reports, “The Pope continues to complain about the problem of the devil, and incidents of demonic possession are on the rise, especially in Rome” (“Reports of Demonic Possession Increasing Since ‘New Rite’ of Exorcism.” The Remnant, May 19, 2014).
Dr. Roderick Meredith has said that he expects that we will see increasing activity by unclean spirits in the future (see “Coworker Letter,” July 14, 2014).
One wonders about the slave girl in the account in Acts. Having lost her usefulness to her masters, was she eventually freed? And since she knew who Paul and Silas were, was she eventually converted to Christianity? The Bible does not say. But we do know that while Paul, Silas and the slave girl died long ago, the unclean spirit she was familiar with is still around!
The world may not realize it, but there are real spiritual influences at work in the world today and have always been. And they will play a prominent role in the events of the world just ahead—and may produce challenges in your life. It is important to know what God says we are to do—and not do—with regard to them.
Unclean Spirits in the Past
What is an unclean spirit? What the public is presented in the movies by Hollywood screenwriters is usually quite different from what the Bible reveals about unclean spirits. The word “unclean” in this usage is translated from the Greek, akatharton, which means inherently unclean—like pork. This is contrasted with the Greek word, koinos, which refers to things that are ceremonially unclean—such as a lamb that was sacrificed to an idol. There is nothing you can do to an unclean spirit to make it acceptable. Everything that comes from it—especially “information”—is unacceptable and to be avoided.
Unclean spirits are angels that rebelled along with Lucifer, the Adversary. “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads” (Revelation 12:3).
The next event described in Revelation may happen in the near future. “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (vv. 7–9, NIV).
These rebellious angels are the ones who long ago followed Lucifer, who became Satan. These former angels are the beings we now call unclean spirits or demons. The word, “demon” comes from the Greek daimonion, which means “accuser.”
Idolatry Equals Demon Worship
God reveals the nature of unclean spirits to us in His word and gives us instruction regarding them. In pagan societies, animals were sacrificed at a pagan temple, and then the meat was often sold in the marketplace. The Apostle Paul instructed gentile Christians in Corinth regarding eating meat that, though “clean,” had been sacrificed to an idol. “Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Corinthians 10:19–22, NIV). So, idolatry can be dangerous. Whereas the physical idol cannot see or hear, when an unclean spirit is involved, it may become quite engaged with its worshipper.
God’s word gives us instructions about dealing with unclean spirits. “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 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, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 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. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you” (Deuteronomy 18:9–14). Such practices are common in society today.
People who dabble in the occult or in paranormal experimentation do not realize the effect it has on them spiritually. God says they are defiled and prostituted by them. “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:31). “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” (Leviticus 20:6).
What Was the Attraction of Idols?
So why would people—ancient or modern—prefer to worship a wooden or stone idol instead of the God of Israel, whom many knew to be real, active and powerful? Here are two possible reasons.
In the ancient world, the primary gods were often a male-female pair. Examples are Baal and Ashtoreth, which are mentioned in the Bible. Other cultures had different names for similar pairings. These deities were usually worshipped with fertility rites, and a trip to worship at the temple could be very similar to a trip to a house of prostitution. People liked the religious rites. Such things were unlawful for an Israelite, but since they were very appealing to carnal people the Israelites were often seduced into such practices, even though they knew of the existence and power of the one true God, the Eternal. Another tragic downside of promiscuity for religious purposes was the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Another reason is that they may have gotten a response from the unclean spirit associated with the idol. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest.
“So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, ‘I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God’” (1 Kings 18:20–24).
Of course, no matter how much the prophets of Baal solicited their god by crying out and cutting themselves (“as was their custom,” v. 28) there was no response. Finally, it was Elijah’s turn to call on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!’” (vv. 38–39).
But why did the prophets of Baal think something would happen if Baal had never “responded” before? Perhaps it was because their familiar spirits sometimes did things. But, they did not respond that time.
The point is this: there was a connection between idolatry and demons back then, there is one now… and there will be one in the future.
Unclean Spirits Present: Modern Idolatry
When people visit a medium who actually has a familiar spirit, they go as supplicants seeking a favor. It is necessary to solicit the unclean spirit. Perhaps these people have been deceived into believing they can contact someone through the spirit. They may be seeking useful information, or just an unusual experience. This often involves an offering of some kind to appease or entice the spirit, but always includes some sort of obeisance—which is worship—of the spirit. The spirit’s goal is usually to defile and prostitute the person, even if it appears to help with a problem or a request. Whether invisibly or visibly, the contact leaves the supplicants much worse off than before, even if they may think they have been helped.
“Giving Place”
Be careful about opening up your mind to wrong influences through entertainment featuring the paranormal or the occult. And never become involved in paranormal activities. Generally speaking, people in the Church are only affected by unclean spirits when they “give place” to them. After He had cast out a demon, Christ instructed the multitude, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:24–26). Never create a place for an unclean spirit by engaging in occult or paranormal activities. Rather, fill yourself with God’s Spirit and word.
There are lots of programs on TV that feature “paranormal” events, presented as fact for an evening’s entertainment. But anyone in the Church who has ever had an actual experience with an unclean spirit knows that they are not entertaining! It is certainly true that much of what is presented as paranormal or occult is fake. But if it is phony, why be fooled? And if it is genuine, you really do not want to have anything to do with it. Such occult practices as soothsaying, astrology, séances and the like are not where we get our spiritual information. What they offer might seem interesting or seem like valuable information, but the unclean spirit is not there to do you good—it is there to cause you to sin, to deceive you, to defile you and ultimately to destroy you. Such television programs are not good entertainment.
A Lesson for Both Young and Old
Today’s entertainment is filled with heroic characters combating evil magic and mystic forces. It is almost impossible to avoid, especially for the kids. Even science fiction epics can integrate magical forces into an entertaining plot. But the basic plot vehicle is always the same. The hero or heroine uses good magic to defeat the bad guys and their bad magic. And guess who the kids identify with? Star Wars has the Jedi good guys using the good side of “the force” to battle the bad guys who have gone over to “the dark side of the force.” We, of course, are supposed to identify with the good side and those who use that power. Kids usually think it would be cool to be a Jedi knight.
The fictional character, Harry Potter, supposedly uses his magical powers for good, and most kids who watch those movies or read the books identify with Harry. (Of course, they think they, like Harry, would use such occult powers for their idea of “good”). Even some classic fairy tales share the same assumption—that there is good magic and bad magic, and we are supposed to identify with the hero or heroine who is doing the good magic. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has news for them—and for us. There is no good occult. It is all bad. Satan wants us to think of some forms of occult as “good”—but it is a deception. It is a good idea to educate our children in this matter so they can identify this common theme when they are presented with it and reject the idea of “good occult.”
These modern pagan practices demonstrate a spiritual emptiness in our secular society—a society that excludes the true God. They try to fill that emptiness in many ways, both spiritual and physical.
The Apostle Paul explained, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful…” (Romans 1:28–31). Sounds like a description of much of today’s pop culture.
But such a society is ripe for spiritual deception.
Spirits and Idolatry in the Future
At the end of this age, Satan will deceive the whole world into a rebellion against every last vestige of reverence and respect for the things of God. We in God’s Church know what it is like to face Satan’s attacks. Paul wrote Timothy, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times [our time] some will abandon the faith [some nominal or former Church members] and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1, NIV). This describes someone pulling people out of God’s Church on the pretext of “new” prophetic information or teachings, heretical in nature and demonically obtained. How could that happen?
One source of concern is non-biblical prophets and mystics. For instance, there are dozens of mystics accepted by the Roman Catholic church—some from long ago and some relatively modern. Many of these mystics may be outright frauds, but what about those who seem to have genuine contact with the spirit world? What if they offer enticing information, or are restoring “lost knowledge” or make accurate predictions? Did the Spirit of God give them that information? Or an unclean spirit? The mystic may have died centuries ago, but any unclean spirit is still around. Be careful not to “give place.” Is there anything that an unclean spirit has to teach that you want to know? Certainly not—whether it originated long ago or today.
Also, problems can occur when some become involved in apocryphal texts and claim to have found “new truth” in addition to—or contradicting—“the faith once delivered.” But we must “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). All of God’s word is true, but a document that is not inspired by God may offer a deceiving mix. What was its inspiration, and how can you know what part is true and what part is not? You cannot outsmart an unclean spirit—just get away. And never follow people offering extra-biblical doctrines, especially if the individual causes division. God’s word gives us a warning, “do not touch what is unclean [akathartos]” (2 Corinthians 6:17).
We are aware of no prophets in the Church today or in Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s time—although God may reveal one or more in the future. Some have claimed to be prophets, and they usually cause division among God’s people. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). If the supposed prophet causes division, watch out!
An Exciting Spiritual Experience!
God’s word tells us that, in the near future, a powerful figure will emerge on the world scene and give countless millions of his followers an exciting spiritual experience—but it is not one that Christians should be interested in!A great religious leader will arise and do supernatural wonders. He will use his deceiving wonders to cause the world to engage in an idolatrous experience that will include interacting with an unclean spirit.
Christ revealed through the Apostle John what will happen in the last days of this age. “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:11–15).
Those who obey God’s commandments will not worship the image or interact with it in any way, and those who are faithful will suffer severe persecution—even death. Those in the place of safety should be excluded from many of these trials.
Past, Present and Future
Idolatry and unclean spirits are phenomena that have been closely associated in the past, they are associated today and they will be in the future. So, members of God’s Church should never “give place” to an unclean spirit. Understanding this is important to God’s begotten children if we are to avoid being deceived and to continue to overcome. Those who obey God’s commandments in the end times will refuse to worship any image or to communicate with a familiar spirit. They will understand that unclean spirits and their wonders that are associated with the image are there to deceive us and deprive us of our place in the Book of Life. Do not be impressed by someone who does wonders, but denies the truths held firmly by God’s Church. And beware of anyone claiming to be one of us with “new or restored information” that causes division in the Church. And thanks to God for revealing these things to us in His word.