Topic

Magic

Magic

Watching a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat can be very entertaining, but there is much more to magic than creating an illusion or tricking a person. The devil would want you to think that magic is just harmless entertainment, but the art of real magic goes way back to Bible times where witches and wizards consulted with evil spirits to deceive and turn people away from God.

What is magic?   God told Moses very clearly what magic was all about. It’s in the Bible, “When you arrive in the Promised Land you must be very careful lest you be corrupted by the horrible customs of the nations now living there. For example, an Israeli who presents his child to be burned to death as a sacrifice to heathen gods, must be killed. No one may practice black magic, or call on the evil spirits for aid, or be a fortune teller, or be a serpent charmer, medium, or wizard, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone doing these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord, and it is because the nations do these things that the Lord your God will displace them. You must walk blamelessly before the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 18:9-13, TLB).
 

Consider these points from Biblical history:

  1. God placed the pagan magicians, witches, fortune tellers, wizards and evil spirits in the same category. They were all working with the devil.
  2. People who practiced magic went as far as murder in the cruelest forms when they sacrificed children. It’s in the Bible, “You shall not murder,” (Exodus 20:13, NKJ).
  3. The magicians and witches cast spells, charmed snakes, and tried to communicate with the dead. It’s in the Bible, “But the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, NKJ).
  4. They used magical powers to attempt to tell the future. Only God knows the future. Jesus said, “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. I tell you the truth” (John 13:19, 20, NIV).
  5. Magic is going beyond the laws of nature to do something that humans don’t have the power to do. So if the power doesn’t come from God, where is the power coming from? The only other source – it must be demonic.


What if it is just simple magic? Magic is the practice of deceiving people. It’s in the Bible, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” (Exodus 20:16, NKJ). Bearing false witness is telling or showing something that is not true. Can you really pull a rabbit out of a hat when you didn’t put one in the hat? Can a magician cut a woman in two and she magically comes back together? No. That part of magic is just an illusion. It makes you think you are seeing something that you are not seeing. The devil may start with some innocent tricks, but he uses them to lure people into deeper black magic.
 

What is the harm of just watching movies like Harry Potter or reading the books about wizards just for entertainment? We should guard our thoughts from the devil. It’s in the Bible, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes…I will not know wickedness” (Psalm 101: 3, 4, NKJ). It also says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8,NIV).  Consider this:  if you put garbage in your mind, garbage will come out of your mind.

What should I do with my movies, games, cards, and books that are about magic? The Bible teaches us that Christianity and magic don’t mix. “Many of the believers who had been practicing magic confessed their deeds and brought their incantation books and charms and burned them at a public bonfire” (Acts. 19:18, 19, TLB). The answer is simple. Get rid of them.

What will happen to those who practice magic? They will not be allowed in heaven. It’s in the Bible, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious….impurity….idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage…I warn you….that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galations:5:19-21, NIV).  “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation: 21:27, NIV).

Sorcery is practiced in this age just as it was in the days of the old-time magicians. The ancient system of magic is, in reality, the same as what is now known as modern spiritualism. But true to his early cunning, Satan employs this device in order to gain control of minds. Don't let Satan get control of you through magic.