Is seeing spirits / demons an ability God gives to some people?
Is seeing spirits / demons an ability God gives to some people?
Answer
There are some who believe they have the ability to see spirits, ghosts, angels, demons, etc. Online advice on what to do with this gift abounds, and books, including children’s books, purport to help people use their gift. But, despite those who claim to see spirits, the Bible says nothing about such a gift or ability.
The Bible records instances of spirits manifesting themselves visibly. The Holy Spirit Himself appeared as a dove in Matthew 3:16 and as a flame of fire in Acts 2:3. Holy angels have manifested themselves to people, but in almost every case it is the angel who takes the initiative to reveal himself; he is not seen because someone had the “gift” of special sight. An exception is 2 Kings 6:17, when Elisha prays for his servant’s eyes to be opened to the spiritual reality around him, but, even then, the servant had no permanent gift or innate ability to see the angels. There is no biblical record of an evil spirit manifesting or being seen.
Some biblical prophets had visions of God and angels, and angels sometimes appeared to people in dreams. But receiving a vision in the course of a prophet’s duties is different from a native ability to see spirits. The occasional glimpses of the spirit world had by prophets and others were allowed by God for His own purposes. A biblical seer was not known as “one who can see angels” but as “one through whom God’s word comes.”
In all the times that the Bible records people seeing spiritual beings, there is never a mention of any special “gift” or “ability” associated with such sights. Christians who are trusting God can be sure that angels are all around us doing what they do behind the scenes. We don’t need to physically see angels to underst and that they are there.
King Saul used a medium to summon the spirit of Samuel so that he could ask Samuel’s advice (1 Samuel 28). The woman was only too happy to oblige but then reacted in fear and “cried out at the top of her voice” when Samuel really did appear (1 Samuel 28:12). Her terrified response showed that she did not usually get that kind of result. There are mediums today who claim to be able to communicate with spirits. Some may be charlatans, but some may actually receive communication from the spirit world. Whether they can see spirits is another matter; the manifestation of Samuel’s spirit to Saul’s medium seems to be a unique instance in Scripture.
God condemns any communication with the dead. Saul was judged for his actions regarding the medium: “Saul died because he was unfaithful to theLord; he did not keep the word of theLord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of theLord. So theLordput him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:13–14). Furthermore, the New Testament warns that Satan masquerades as an angel of light in order to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14). Christians should seek guidance from the Lord and from His Word, not from departed spirits.
People who claim a gift of seeing angels or demons or to possess some type of extrasensory perception are functioning apart from Scripture. The Bible gives no indication that God gives such a gift or ability to people, and Scripture must be our final authority in spiritual matters.