Who Is Really Behind the Occult?

CONCERNING our Creator, the Bible says: "God is light and there is no darkness at all in union with him." (1 John 1:5) That is especially true in a spiritual sense. So could the true God be the power behind the occult? Or is there a sinister force involved?

Foremost among occult practices are divination and spiritism, which include astrology, numerology, psalmisty and sorcery, as well as communicating with the "dead" and casting spells. These practices have a very long history, most dating back to ancient Babylon, the ruins of which lie in Iraq. (Isaiah 47:1, 12, 13) From Babylon, occult practices spread around the ancient world and became deeply entrenched in many cultures and civilizations.

Consider an event that occurred in the city of Philippi in ancient Macedonia. There, a small group of Christian ministers, which included the apostle Paul and the physician Luke, encountered a girl who had occult powers. Note how the Bible writer Luke revealed the secret source of her powers. He wrote: "A certain servant girl with a spirit, a demon of divination, met us. She used to furnish her masters with much gain by practicing the art of prediction." -Acts 16:16-18.

Yes, this girl's powers did not come from the true God, Jehovah, but from a demon, an evil spirit. Hence, Paul and his companions refused to listen to her. Perhaps you are now wondering: 'Who are demons? And where did they come from?' Again, note the Bible's answers.

Next time: Who Are the Demons?

Awake! 2011