The prophet's dictionary guide to the supernatural

prophet-judge by allowing none of his words (prophecies) to fall to the ground. That is, not one of Samuel’s prophetic utterances failed to come to pass in God’s estimation and in the people’s recollection. Moses’ divinely inspired eulogy made a similar statement. Deuteronomy 34:5–12 establishes his prophetic credentials over the years of his service. The writer who completed Moses’ chronicles in the book had this to say about the man of God: He died with his natural strength and vigor unabated. Age had not appreciably deteriorated his physical being. In addition, his work was attested to with mighty signs and wonders. The Lord’s seal of approval designates spiritual and supernatural support from the authority backing the minister. 1302. Séance—A) Necromancy. B) Fortune-telling through communion with the dead. C) An occult activity involving conjuring up the dead, or pretending to do so, by way of familiar spirits and the use of ventriloquism. Séances go way back before the time of Israel. During those times, the gods of the dead and the underworld were consulted through their mediums. Somehow it was understood that those who died ended up beneath the earth, perhaps a conclusion reached because of the dead bodies being returned to the earth after their departure. Nevertheless, the idea of death being permanent and irreversible was as difficult for the ancients to reconcile as it is for people today. To interject a semblance of hope in the grief process, an array of divinatory acts and occultic rituals were contrived to ease the impact of losing a loved one. The catalyst of that movement included inventing the gods of the dead and serving them in the hope that they could win their favor and maybe reconnect with their loved ones. Mediums and spiritists, both banned by Scripture, served as ministers of the dark deities. Their job was to offer themselves to be used as conduits (vessels) of the deities to commune with their departed relatives from the grave. The name of the service or meeting that allowed the contact with the dead to occur was the séance. It supposedly permitted the immaterial and immortal sides of a dead person that continue after the death of the body to reappear. When they were conjured, their loved ones discussed matters with their surviving relatives about the world beyond. They often shared hypothetical information about tomorrow and counseled them on how they could best use their advance knowledge of earth’s impending affairs to their advantage.