Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:13–14). He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. Saul was condemned for his actions regarding the witch: “So Saul died for his breach of faith. Some of these are no doubt charlatans, and some may actually get communication from the spirit world however, this communication is not to be relied upon because it is prohibited by God. This might lead one to think that she did not usually get this kind of result! There are psychics and mediums today who, like the “witch” of Endor, claim to be able to communicate with spirits. The woman was only too happy to oblige but then reacted in fear when Samuel really did appear. King Saul visited the witch of Endor and wanted her to summon the spirit of Samuel so that he could ask Samuel’s advice (see 2 Samuel 28). We don’t need to physically see them to understand that they are there. Christians who are trusting God can be sure that angels and possibly even demons are all around us doing what they do behind the scenes. In spite of the times that the Bible records people seeing spiritual beings, there is never mention of any special “gift” or “ability” to do it. Elisha seemed to know that angels were all around (the passage never says that Elisha could see them), and he prayed for his servant’s benefit: “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw the surrounding hills were full of horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17). When the king of Aram attempted to capture the prophet Elisha, Elisha’s servant was fearful. Some prophets had visions of God and angels, but, once again, this was not any ability on the part of the prophet, but an occasional glimpse into the spirit world that God allowed for His own purposes. He is not seen because someone had the “ability” to see him. Of course, angels have often manifested themselves throughout the Old and New Testament, but most of the time it is the angel who takes the initiative to reveal himself. Normally, the evil spirit would take over the body of a person and use his body and voice or, in at least one case, the bodies of pigs (see Mark 5:1–13 for an example of both). There is no record of an evil spirit manifesting or being seen. The Holy Spirit has manifested Himself in visible form on occasion: as a dove in Matthew 3:16 and as a flame of fire in Acts 2:3. However, the Bible says nothing about a gift or ability to see spirits, demons, or even angels. A quick internet search will reveal that there is no shortage of people who give advice on what to do with this gift, and there are books available, including children’s books, that purport to help people use their gift. There are many who believe they have the gift to be able to see spirits, ghosts, angels, etc.
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