Page 167 - Foundations

ancient days was considered to be a person who was able to communicate with the gods, or with a
specific god.

Communication with Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is a very good thing.
Communication with false gods is an evil thing. Yahweh forbid the practice of idolatry among those
who worshiped Him. In contrast, devotion to Yahweh was encouraged. If Christians are able to
distinguish between idolatrous worship and worship of Yahweh, they are also able to distinguish
between the various forms of lawful and unlawful divination.

Prophecy is a form of divination. It is a supernatural means of obtaining knowledge about the future
or about hidden things that a person could not comprehend through their natural senses. The Bible
is filled with accounts of men and women who prophesied about events to come. This is a form of
divination that is found in the New Testament as well as in the Old.

Acts 11:27-30
Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named
Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all
over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the
disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren
living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

In this Scripture we see an example of lawful divination. What makes this type of supernatural
communication lawful is that Yahweh is the initiator of it. The Holy Spirit speaking through God’s
prophets made known what was to come. The Bible also provides accounts of unlawful divination.

Acts 16:16-18
And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a spirit of
divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling. Following after Paul
and us, she kept crying out, saying, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are
proclaiming to you the way of salvation." And she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was
greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Yahshua Christ to
come out of her!" And it came out at that very moment.

Similar encounters occurred in the life of Christ as demons began to speak through those they
possessed, declaring Yahshua to be the Son of God.

Mark 1:23-26
And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying,
"What do we have to do with You, Yahshua of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who
You are - the Holy One of God!" And Yahshua rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of
him!" And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice, and came
out of him.

Notice that in both cases the unclean spirits spoke truth. Paul was indeed “a bond-servant of the Most
High God,” and Yahshua is “the Holy One of God.” Nevertheless, what these spirits were doing was