This explanation is for Christians who have concerns about what the church says about mediums and the afterlife. Some in the church hold that any contact with those on the next plane of life must be demonic. Mediums, they assert, speak with demons, and speaking to mediums is forbidden by Biblical mandates. They believe the deceased are in a sort of “cold storage” until Jesus’ second coming and are not accessible. In cold storage, they are without life until the judgment day, when those who swore allegiance to Jesus will be resurrected into physical bodies and live in a heaven on earth; those who did not swear allegiance to Jesus will be thrown into the fiery pit of hell. There is no such place as “hell.“
This explanation shows why those assertions simply aren’t true.
Many Teachings the Church Asserts Did not come from Jesus
- At no time did Jesus speak of a far-distant heaven at all. He said the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven) is here; it is within us. The idea of a heaven distant in time, a purgatory, and limbos were entirely created by the church.
- At no time did Jesus say people should not communicate with their deceased loved ones on the next plane of life. He never mentions mediums, even once.
- While on the cross, one account has Jesus saying to the thief beside him that the thief would be with him that day in paradise. There was to be no delay for the thief or Jesus; they would be together in paradise the moment they passed away.
- Another account was added to Jesus’ teachings by the writer of Luke, and Biblical scholars agree that it probably did not come from Jesus; it was added by first-century Christians. However, it shows that first-century Christians did not believe that the deceased went into cold storage. In fact, they believed that people who pass away are immediately met and guided by those on the other side. In Luke 16:22, the writer describes a begger dying. The writer reports that upon death, angels on the other side of life “carried him to Abraham’s side.” There, the begger was very much alive and with Abraham as a living person. If the early Christians had had a notion of cold storage for millennia, that passage would not have been written or would not have remained in the text as it was circulated.
- Jesus spoke later in that account of going to be with the Father, God, and being available for the disciples to communicate with. He said they could ask him to do things and he would do them on the other side of life. In other words, Jesus had a very clear conception that his life would continue and that he would be available to communicate with the disciples, although people would not be able to see him. That is a perfect description of the next plane of life where people are able to walk among us and see us, but we can’t see them.
- In other words, there is no evidence that Jesus believed that his followers would go into cold storage after passing away and enter a heaven at some far-distant time, and early Christians closest to Jesus’ time believed people were guided in the afterlife upon death. On the other hand, there is direct, clear evidence that Jesus believed that those who passed away would immediately enter the next plane of life and have etheric bodies. He spoke with Moses and Elijah as they materialized, and he allowed Peter, John, and James to witness it. Finally, he assured his disciples that even though he was not going to be in a physical body, he would be with them, would give them guidance, and even might appear to them.
Those on the Next Plane of Life Have Great Reverence for Jesus
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. Jesus in Mark 3:24-26The most compelling reason we know those in the afterlife are our loved ones, not demons, and want to communicate to help us grow spiritually, is the fact that they all speak with great reverence about Jesus. They have harsh words for the church, but only because it doesn’t represent Jesus’ spiritual teachings as well as they would wish.
Many who come through in seances are theologians, ministers, priests, brothers, deans, and bishops. They all acknowledge the primacy of Jesus’ teachings for humanity, and encourage us to follow his teachings and model. They explain that they are choosing to communicate through mediums in order to help humanity grow spiritually to realize Jesus’ model. They emphasize the need for peace, brotherhood, and universal, unconditional love among all men, without regard for race or creed.
The Gospel of John includes a story of teachers of the law coming from Jerusalem to the Galilee to see for themselves what Jesus was doing because he was creating such a stir. When they witnessed his miracles, they were so convinced of their authenticity that they exclaimed, “He is possessed by Beelzebub [Satan]! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” Jesus replied, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.” (John 3: 23-26)
What Jesus was saying about his own work was that if the works are against evil and are for good, they couldn’t possibly come from an evil source. Evil cannot speak against or eradicate evil, and evil cannot do good. Those on the next plane of life more strongly support Jesus and Jesus’ teachings than do most churches on this Earthly plane. No evil force or being could hold adoration for Jesus and the desire to help humankind become like Jesus and still accomplish the evil goals of separating man from God and man from other men.
Those in the afterlife are real people, devoted more than ever to God, to Jesus, and to helping humankind grow to become peaceful, loving, and spiritual.
The Old Testament and Mediums
The people who attempt to demonize the afterlife cite Old Testament mandates against mediums. There are three passages that deal with mediums and speaking to the dead:
- Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Deut 18:10 (NIV)
- When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19 (NIV)
- Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord: he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. 1 Chronicles 10:13 (NIV)
What is perhaps most interesting about the passages is that they all provide testimony that people who pass away live on the next plane of life, not in cold storage. Even the Jewish writers from around the fifth through the eighth centuries BCE knew that. There’s no question in their minds that the dead are available to communicate. The people were just admonished to seek counsel from God, not from their deceased loved ones.
Just as in the New Testament, there is no mention here of the odd concept that a medium speaks to demons. The passages state clearly that mediums speak to real people who have left the body, but are very much alive in the afterlife.
And Jesus communed with Moses and Elijah in materialized bodies before Peter, John, and James. Clearly he didn’t see anything wrong with doing so. He certainly wouldn’t have disobeyed the Old Testament and allowed the disciples to witness it, unless, of course, he was saying the new laws replaced the old, as he several times did.
However, what is most important is the clear context of what the writers were saying. People were “consulting the dead” instead of God. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord, not because he went to a medium; he “consulted a medium for guidance” instead of consulting God; that’s what angered God. The Old Testament Yahweh wasn’t a God to be trifled with; he certainly did his share of killing people who got on his bad side. We don’t believe in that God any more; God doesn’t kill people who aren’t faithful. It’s a good thing because that would mean 24% of Americans, 73% of the French, and 93% of the members of the National Academy of Science would be wiped out.
These passages that the church appeals to have no relevance for people who are seeking to follow Yeshua’s teachings today. They aren’t consulting mediums instead of God for guidance and today’s God wouldn’t kill them if they did. The church cites these Bible passages because they suit their purpose—demonizing communication with people in the afterlife that the church can’t control.
Besides that, there are 612 other Mitzvahs of Torah. The Mitzvahs are the rules an orthodox Jew must follow based on passages in the Old Testament. We have to assume that those who choose the Mitzvah against mediums as their banner must strive to adhere to the other 612 as well. They don’t eat pork, don’t work from sundown on Friday until after nightfall on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath), don’t travel beyond the city limits on Sabbath, read the Sh’ma twice daily, wear Tephilin of the head and hand, cancel monetary claims in the Sabbatical year (every seven years), eat matzah on the first night of Pesach, fast on Yom Kippur, whip transgressors of certain commandments, behead transgressors of certain commandments, don’t shave their beard, don’t pronounce the name of G_d, don’t curse a ruler, and on and on through the rest of the total of 613 Mitzvahs.
Of course they don’t obey the 613 Mitzvahs of Torah; they would agree that the Old Testament Mitzvahs are not relevant for Christians today. However, in spite of that, they continue to cite the passages that support their unfounded contention that grieving people must not talk to their deceased loved ones. In so doing, they block people’s growth in understanding the afterlife and keep them from learning that their loved ones are alive and well, that they’ve just stepped into another room for a few years, and all will soon be joined in a wonderful reunion.
For an amusing response to a statement by radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlesinger about homosexuality and the Bible, click on this link. The same principles apply to the admonitions about mediums. Click to read
