What is Clairvoyance?
– and is it okay for Christians to seek out a clairvoyant?
The term “Clairvoyance” comes from the two French words “clair” (clear) and ”voir” (to see) – i.e. to see clearly or maybe better translated as “clear-sightedness”. This is the “ability” to look into the world of the spiritual – and to be able to see into the future.
In the old days, clairvoyants were often called “mediums”, “witches”, “soothsayers”, “fortune teller” or “necromancers”. But the real question is: From where does the clairvoyant get his or her “wisdom” or “vision”? Is it pure “fantasy” or is it really coming from spirits, angels or from the dead?
If you ask a clairvoyant, the person will claim to be communicating directly with the dead or with angels and/or with good energies in the universe. Many clairvoyants have in their own terminology their very own personal spiritual helpers and/or guardian angels who help them.
But what does the Bible actually say about this stuff? …Because in the Bible you obviously see a number of “prophets” who can see into the future. One example is Isaiah, who prophesied of the arrival of Jesus about 720 years before it happened (predicted the future). You can read about it in Isaiah chapter 53. But what is exactly happening here? Is it just some “random helper” from the universe or a soothsaying spirit suddenly speaking through Isaiah? No…! If we read in Acts 28:25b, it says “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers.” Thus, it is the Holy Spirit speaking through Isaiah: God’s own spirit.
…and it is the funniest thing that precisely Isaiah, who was used by God as such a great prophet, writes:
Isaiah 8:19-22
And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
…and again, a little later, Isaiah writes:
Isaiah 19:3-4
The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, and they will consult the idols and the charmers, the mediums and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.
As you see, there is a real distinction between the information we get when we seek God, and the information you get from a clairvoyant.
In 2 Chronicles 33:6b and in Micah 5:9-14, we can even read how seeking out “fortune tellers” actually brings on the wrath of God.
2 Chronicles 33:6b
He practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.
Micah 5:9-14
Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. “And it shall be in that day,” says the Lord, “That I will cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots. I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds. I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no soothsayers. Your carved images I will also cut off, and your sacred pillars from your midst; You shall no more worship the work of your hands; I will pluck your wooden images from your midst; Thus I will destroy your cities.”
But why does God get so angry about people seeking out clairvoyants (mediums) for advice and wisdom about the future…? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that God should be angry about that, since God Himself is spirit! …or does it? Yes, it makes perfect sense, because God gets angry precisely because He wants to protect us. He wants us to know ONLY those things that build us up and the things we are ready for, but since ALL other “gods” and “spirit powers” than the ones that are sent by Jesus come from the devil, nothing good can come from seeking them out. The fact is that Satan is a liar in general, but he also appears as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” – or as an extremely beautiful and helpful “angel of light”, who is, in reality, rotten to the core, dark, and evil just under the surface. Satan is and will always be the father of lies, division, evil, and hatred. He gives with one hand if you seek advice from him, but he demands more than twice back with the other hand. In John 10:10, Jesus says about Satan: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Thus, if you seek advice from a clairvoyant, it means that you are seeking advice or information directly from Satan. Through this advice, the clairvoyant places a “prophesy” or a curse on your life, which is not at all God’s intention; because Satan will always counteract God’s wish of peace and a good future for you.
Jeremiah 29:11-14a
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity.
Actually, there are times when God is more than happy to show us glimpses of the future, but not any more glimpses than we can handle, and only those things He wants us to know; and that knowledge must come through intimate fellowship with Jesus. God speaks to us only through an intimate relationship with Jesus – and if you don’t bother to prioritize that intimate relationship, then you also don’t prioritize listening – and thereby you are choosing not to get an answer. When you go to a clairvoyant instead of seeking knowledge from Jesus / the Holy Spirit, things take a bad turn, and you are filled with lies, strife, and often fear.
We actually read in the New Testament about an episode, where Jesus’ disciples exorcise a spirit of divination from a woman, and when we are talking about an “exorcism”, it also requires that a demon is present for it to be exorcized. Thus, the spirit of divination is sent from Satan – a lying spirit.
Acts 16:16-19
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.
In this story, you may notice right away that what the demon says through his “medium” (clairvoyant) is actually true: “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation!” – but then the predictions must be true..? Or…? Sure, they very well might be, but the problem is that Satan is the master of mixing lies with truth to muddy up everything and create confusion… So, perhaps you might hear a prediction where part of it is actually 100% correct, but in between lots or lies are told that come to lie as a curse on the person seeking advice. Let me give you an example… you are tired of your partner, and you seek advice from a clairvoyant. Now, you will initially be presented with a lot of truths, which the clairvoyant could not have known without help from the spirit world: This fosters trust, respect, and recognition. After this, you may be told that you need to stay away from your partner because … and here is where the lie comes in: “You are not meant for each other” or “Your partner will suddenly harm you, although you have never experienced that before” or generally just the opposite of what God wants for your relationship. And then there will be a few more truths that boosts your confidence in the prediction you just heard. So, even though some of what you were told is a direct lie against the truth of God, it seems so believable that you act on it – and the “prophesy” comes true.
Another important thing when distinguishing between words of wisdom from God and “fortune-telling” from a clairvoyant is that it is a source of income for the clairvoyant… but all good gifts from God are actually free. For instance, Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus says:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them..”
So, if you need guidance in your life, then consider where you are getting your advice… Should it be from God who has created you and who wants all the best for you…? Or should it be from Satan, who wants to destroy your life and make sure you DON’T have a relationship with Jesus?
August 2018
Andreas Slot-Henriksen
Read here what happens when seeking the dead pepole.
Tree of light – but without fruits.
