Today we live in a time when magic, witchcraft, divination, sorcery, false prophets, fortune tellers, psychics, hypnotists, new age philosophies and other similar forms of occult demonic activity run rampant. We see these occult activities in various types of games, in books, television shows, movies and so much more. Even little children’s movies are simply saturated with all forms of magic. Disney is one of the leading promoters of magic to children and has been for decades. People as a whole have become so desensitized to the fact that all forms of magic and divination are evil and that God regularly warns in the Bible that we must stay away from it. The vast majority of places that are called “churches” will preach nothing against sorcery even though the Bible warns that we must repent of partaking in any form of sorcery and need to turn fully away from this evil.

Here are some scriptures which teach us that all forms of sorcery are evil and must be repented of:

1.  “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-12)
   
   
2. “So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
   
   
3. “He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.” (II Chronicles 33:6)
   
   
4. “But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure in spite of your many sorceries and in spite of the great power of your spells. You felt secure in your wickedness and said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge, they have deluded you. You have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’ But evil will come on you which you will not know how to charm away; and disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone; and destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly.” (Isaiah 47:9-13)
   
   
5. “And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.” (Acts 19:18-19)
   
   
6. “As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.” (Leviticus 20:6)
   
   
7. “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you will have fortune-tellers no more.” (Micah 5:12)
   
   
8. “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
   
   
9. “But for the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
   
   
10. “But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ For they prophesy a lie to you in order to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish.” (Jeremiah 27:9-10)

There are many more scriptures concerning this subject but the above scriptures make it clear that all forms of sorcery are an abomination to God and need to be repented of if we claim to be a true follower of the Lord. Those who are warned and yet refuse to repent will be not able to enter the Kingdom of God and will be separated from God forever.  Praise God that the Lord in His mercy is giving us time to repent and get rid of all these abominations from our lives.

We need to make sure and destroy all movies, books, items, or anything related to magic/sorcery that we may own. This, of course, includes any children’s movies or books that promote magic or supernatural powers and make these seem “normal”, “fun”, “exciting”, or “good”. There is no such thing as “good magic” such as in the case of “white magic” and ALL magic is evil in the eyes of God because the devil and demons are the sources of magic’s power and it will only lead to misery, and pain eventually for all who partake in this wickedness. God in His mercy warns us against this evil since He wants to protect us and keep us safe, but if we willfully disobey His clear warnings we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit which is an unforgivable sin.

If we are true Christians, then we must do what the Christians in Acts 19: 18-19 did by destroying all things relating to sorcery, magic, divination, and witchcraft. If you would like to watch an excellent video message concerning the wickedness of the majority of Disney movies for children since many of them promote magic and our need to banish these from our lives then please check out the following page on this website: Kids' Movie Alerts! Also, if you would like to watch a YouTube channel which specializes in exposing magic which is frequently found in modern day movies, music, television shows etc. then please watch “A Call for an Uprising” YouTube channel. It is a YouTube channel which strives to wake people up in various areas but especially concerning the wickedness of magic promoted so frequently in modern day culture.

Since we are living in the end times just prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ to this earth, we read in the book of Revelation that the coming times will be a time of many “signs and wonders”. There will be false prophets who will be able to deceive many with their magical abilities and with their false prophecies and divinations. However, we also know that there are true prophets of God who are gifted by God to give true prophetic messages. We need to know how to discern true prophets of God from the false diviners and magicians who use their powers to deceive. At times these two may seem to have many similarities since they both may give information concerning future events to occur however they are very different. The following message comes from Anita Fuentes and it explains to us how to discern the differences between false diviners of Satan and true prophets of God.

End Times: Difference between Prophecy and Divination
by Anita Fuentes

First, let’s look at the subject of divination and let’s begin by looking at the definition of divination.

Divination – Divination is a demonic counterfeit. It is the ability that the devil uses in order to foretell the future. It is the ability to access hidden knowledge or secrets pertaining to a person or a people or an event, etc. through demonic sources such as familiar spirits and more.

Divination is a form of witchcraft – it possesses psychics, witch-doctors, false prophets, spiritual advisors, medicine men, new age gurus, voodoo priests, mediums, and more. 
Deuteronomy 18:14 tells us to not practice it for it’s an abomination and a lie! Stay away from wizards, those who call up the dead, etc. Get away from magicians, new age yoga, astrologers, and the like!

Characteristics of Divination and Diviners (33:44)
Diviners and prophets may appear the same through natural observation but they are actually very different and the spiritual effects on people are very different. You will know false prophets by their fruits Jesus said.

Here are some characteristics of false diviners:

1.)  Diviners/false prophets/fortune tellers, etc. walk with/and receive their information from familiar spirits and other demonic entities.

Their foretelling of the future does at times come true and that is what makes it seem so legitimate.  However, their source of information is from the demonic and it will deter you from God. What they tell you does not glorify God in any way but rather it subtly brings more focus, praise, and glory on the diviners/false prophet instead of God. These are not interested in you getting saved or repenting of your sins but will give you a false vision. They will not likely tell you to repent but instead to stay in your sins.

2.)  Diviners/False Prophets/Fortune Tellers ultimately perform signs and wonders and preach in order for you to give them money as they preach a false message –

They exploit people and they love to manipulate for money. Their message is focused mostly on materialism, money, self-glory, etc. rather than on character and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Their messages involve destructive heresies.

3.)  These diviners teach you that you will receive salvation and deliverance from your problem(s) when you give money to them or their institution –

Salvation and deliverance do not come because you give money to a church but only comes through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Acts 8:9-23 tells us about Simon the sorcerer who thought he could acquire God’s gifts with money but he believed in an abominable lie.

4.)  The diviners/false prophets/psychics are never questioned or tested by their own followers –

Instead, they are compared to having the voice of God. 1 John chapter 4 verse 1 tells us though do not believe every spirit but to test them! Test them whether they are of God or not. If someone wants to call themselves a prophet and starts to prophesy and you wonder if they are true or of the Lord, then you need to look at them dead straight in the eye and ask them “Do you call Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Have you repented of your sins and been cleansed of your unrighteousness? Do you have a renewed, born-again spirit?” You had better test that spirit because they may be a witch in disguise. No witch, fortuneteller, or diviner will confess to these things but will probably run. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us to test all things and to hold unto it. Prophecy is only good if it’s about Jesus and the truths of the word of God. Also, what is preached must line up with the Bible. Judge with righteous judgment and as Jesus said, “by their fruits, you shall know them.”

5.)  These diviners/false prophets/fortunetellers/psychics/witches, etc. mostly speak or foretell of events that pertain to things that are outside of the word of God. –

When you receive their words without any testing there is a spiritual attitude and an impartation that takes place. Many times with their “words of prophecy” which is outside of the word of God, the spirit imparts to the hearer who receives it openly, spirits of fear, hatred, confusion, doubt, anger, anxiety, etc. Folks, your dependency cannot be on the words of a false prophet but your dependency must be on the word of God as we read in the Bible. It must be on the holy word of God and that can’t be the second option but must be the first option. It is no longer “I who lives” but “Christ who lives in me.”

6.)  The diviners, witches, sorcerers, etc. will mostly create an attitude of dependency within their followers.  --

Their followers will begin to grow more dependent on them because their followers will have an insatiable need that will be demonically led to see more their signs and wonders and hear more of their fortune telling and future events. The followers will get addicted to hearing more “good things” that are actually lies. The Bible says in the last days that people will fall away from hearing the word of truth and want their ears tickled with fables instead such as what comes from these false diviners. The dependency on these false prophets then automatically removes any dependency on God. We can’t say we serve God while we also listen to the voice of diviners and false prophets. They may sound good but it’s not from the Lord.

Now that we understand what divination sounds like, then what does true biblical prophecy from God sound like?

Now that we have determined what divination is about, let’s understand what true prophecy is like. Let’s begin by looking at the definition of biblical prophecy.

Biblical Prophecy -- Biblical prophecy is defined as a spoken or written messages from God by the power of God’s Holy Spirit through a person. This person may not hold the office of a prophet and may not operate in the gift of prophecy all of the time. However, biblical prophecy may be given to someone as the Lord leads so as to do God’s good pleasure. 

These are ways we can know that Biblical prophecy is true as we test it:

1.)  Biblical prophecy that ultimately comes from God focuses on God and His plans.

2.)  True prophecy will always line up and agree with God’s scripture and will not contradict the scriptures.  –

If it contradicts God’s Word then it isn’t of God.

3.)  True prophecy does not communicate in the same way as psychics or false prophets predict. –

If someone starts to say something like “I know your social security number and the birthday and street you live on,” then we don’t need someone to tell us our private information. These are people who try to tantalize us and get our attention which will tickle our ears and excite many but don’t be foolish for YOUR message from God is in the BIBLE and in the HOLY SPIRIT living inside you. If you have an intimate relationship with God then the Holy Spirit speaks to you all day every day. There’s a peace that lives in you that passes all understanding and guards your heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord.  We’re not looking for a word or false prophecy since God is speaking to us and we’re in fellowship with Him!

4.)  True prophecy comes from God and is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11) and it must build up the Body of Christ which is the true Church –

True prophecy brings encouragement instead of bringing discouragement. It does not cause fear or confusion.

5.)  True prophecy must exalt and glorify Jesus –

It does not glorify the prophet nor does it put the prophet on a pedestal. Revelation 19:10, 1 John 4:1-3, John 16:13-14 all prove this point so please read these scriptures.

6.)  True prophecy must lead to obedience to God –

When God allows prophecy in the church it is meant to lead people to a right relationship with Him. Read Deuteronomy 13:1-5 to prove this point.

7.) True prophecy must produce life and liberty because it comes from the Holy Spirit. –

The Bible says in Romans 8:15 that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. The prophetic message should not lead to bondage, captivity, hatred, fear, condemnation, or confusion. It may lead to conviction and will teach us to give up a way we are walking in because if you don’t then the sin you are walking in will seek to destroy you. If you are sinning in an area, you will be convicted to trust God, submit to Him, and surrender your life to Him in this area so He can heal you. If you reject this conviction and call it “condemnation”, then you must realize that this is not condemnation but instead that it’s the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus seeking to deliver you from the law of sin and death.

8.)  True prophecy must be 100% correct and must come to pass according to Deuteronomy 18:22.

Conclusion

It is imperative as a child of God to be able to discern between real biblical prophecy and false prophecy from diviners. With true prophecy, God is the source of the truth and with divination, the devil is the source. You need to start by knowing God which is so extremely important. The book of Daniel tells us that those who know their God will carry out great exploits which is very encouraging news. We have to make sure to know our God and understand that there is only one God we serve. We are not here in this life to learn about and support many gods. If you are going to a university and you are taking a religious class that teaches about there being many gods, then you need to dump that class because it’s a set up from the devil. We don’t need to study these false and strange religions. We are not to be broad-minded for narrow is the way that leads to life.

So make it your top priority to get to know God and have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd. Jesus said that His sheep will know His voice. When we know Him and are in fellowship with Him we will be in fellowship with Him every day. We will speak to Him every day about something and if not then you have left your first love and need to come back to Him! We will love to always talk to Him because He’s our best friend, our lover, and our God! You’ll love Him and He’ll love you and you’ll only love Him because He first loved you. If you have a genuine relationship with God, you won’t be lead astray. Instead, you will carry out great exploits and not be deceived in these last days. For the power of God’s Holy Spirit will be in you to sustain you and keep you His. This sound relationship is absolutely imperative.

Pray for discernment concerning issues that may confuse you. God will help you with any confusion when you come to Him about it. Remember to regularly read God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to enable you to understand and obey God’s Word. Lastly, remember to test what you listen to as well as what you read, hear, etc. and see if it all aligns with the word of God. I hope this study has been very helpful to you concerning how to discern between false diviners and true biblical prophets of God. God bless you richly!

Galatians 5;19-21 - "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.: