The Bible says that God was completely against people doing divination, necromancy, sorcery, witchcraft, and using gemstones as charms because it is deceptive. Let’s look at how He responds to these things.
In the Old Covenant, these things were forbidden for the Israelites because God says they are wicked actions. Deuteronomy 18:9-12 makes it clear that God was against fortune-telling, sorcery, looking for omens, witchcraft, casting spells, or functioning as mediums or psychics, calling forth the spirits of the dead. Witchcraft is also mentioned in Leviticus 19:26. God has even condemned various kings of Israel for these practices in 2 Kings 9:22 and 2 Chronicles 33:6. Ezekiel 13:18-21 reveals that one of the reasons for Israel’s exile was the use of charms to manipulate and deceive people. Micah 5:10-15 reiterates that fortune-telling and witchcraft are among other sins that will be purged from Israel when God restores the remnant from exile.
Ezekiel 13:18 (NLT) This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits you women who are ensnaring the souls of my people, young and old alike. You tie magic charms on their wrists and furnish them with magic veils. Do you think you can trap others without bringing destruction to yourselves? 19 You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live. 20 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage. 21 I will tear off the magic veils and save my people from your grasp. They will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 22 You have discouraged the righteous with your lies, but I didn’t want them to be sad. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising them life, even though they continue in their sins.”
In the New Testament, this is still considered a violation of Moral law and will prevent people from entering the Kingdom. Paul mentions these things in a list of desires of the flesh (sin nature) in Galatians 5:16-21, but in the following two verses, he contrasts these with the attributes of the Holy Spirit, which he calls the “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Galatians 5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Revelation 21:8 and 22:14-15 both have a list of sins that will prohibit people from inheriting the kingdom and among them are sorcery, witchcraft, and such.
Rev 21:8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Rev 21:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
Here are some examples of how those involved in the dark arts are dealt with in the New Testament by the Apostles:
In Acts chapter 8, when Christianity spreads to Samaria through Phillip the evangelist, a sorcerer named Simon is intrigued by it. Later, Peter and John appear and baptize people with the power of the Holy Spirit, granting them access to the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). Simon the Sorcerer was astonished and wanted to buy this power for himself. However, Peter scolded him, warning him that this power was a gift from God for all of Jesus’ disciples (Acts 1:8) and not for personal gain. He warned Simon that he would be judged for attempting to use it that way, and Simon repented.
Acts 8:9 A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. 10 Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” 11 They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. 12 But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. 15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. 19 “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” 20 But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! 21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 22 Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” 24 “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you’ve said won’t happen to me!”
Paul and Barnabas encountered another sorcerer in Paphos, named Bar-Jesus, as recorded in Acts 13:6-12. Bar-Jesus tried to prevent them from ministering to Governor Sergius Paulus. Paul pronounced a judgment of temporary blindness on him for interfering with the spread of the Gospel. This is interesting because Paul himself was temporarily blinded on the road to Damascus by Jesus and then became a Christian (Acts 9).
Acts 13:6 Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. 9 Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11 Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
In Acts 16:16-21, Paul cast a demon out of a slave woman who could tell people their fortunes, and her slave masters were upset that they couldn’t use her to make money anymore. This woman was a slave on two fronts, spiritually because of demons, and naturally, since men were using her to make money. Paul used the power of the Holy Spirit to remove the demon and liberate her spiritually, which in turn liberated her naturally since she had no value to her masters. In verses 21-40, her masters started a mob, and Paul and Silas were thrown in prison after that, but God rescued them with an earthquake, and the jailer and his family became believers. Additionally, the officials who had them imprisoned had to apologize.
Acts 16:16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” 18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” 22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
In Acts 19:11-20, Paul performed miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit and became immensely popular. However, like Simon the sorcerer from Acts 8, who tried to buy control of the Holy Spirit, the people thought it was just another form of magic and didn’t think anything of it. Then, when some Jewish exorcists (non-Jesus followers) failed in casting out a demon, even using the name of Jesus, the possessed man beat them up and stripped them naked. The people in Ephesus were terrified, and many of them burned their spell books and scrolls, and many of them came to receive Jesus as Lord. They did this because they realized their false power was now ineffective against demons since Jesus had become the highest authority on earth ever since the resurrection.
Acts 19:11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled. 13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. 17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect. 21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. “And after that,” he said, “I must go on to Rome!” 22 He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
The Holy Spirit’s power is greater than the power of demons. Jesus says as much when the Jewish leaders accused him of using the dark arts to cast out demons in Matthew 12:22-30.
Matthew 12:22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. 30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
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