A Christian Response To EVP, ITC, Channeling And Ghosts

By Pastor Jeremy Eagan

NOTE: This sermon was given by Pastor Eagan back in 2005. I found it in my preparation for this Saturday's show. I thought it was enlightening and wanted to share it with you. Pastor Frisbee

As the paranormal becomes more and more popular the church is left to answer tough questions about the dead. Through EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) and ITC (Instrumental TransCommunication), where the supposed voices and video of the dead have been collected, the world is demanding answers.

Hundreds of men and women who have lost loved ones are hoping to contact their dead through these devices. Claimed by the AA-EVP (American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomenon) as a safe and harmless portal between the living and the dead, it is actually a new way to get ourselves in trouble like the Oujia board before it.

First let me say that EVP and ITC is a form of necromancy, just like channeling and using mediums. Necromancy, the contacting of the dead, is something God himself commanded us to stay away from because He loves us.

Deuteronomy 18:10-13 “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 witch craft, or cast spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead (a necromancer). Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before your Lord your God.”

Isaiah 8:19 “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritist, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

Along with a long list of sins, God want us to stay away from necromancy, whether it is through a witch or by tape recording white noise. Isaiah questions why consult the dead when we have access to the living God? Contacting the dead thousands of years ago or tomorrow is not approved, those contacted are not even the dead.

It is my belief that we are in a battle with the enemy in the spiritual world all the time. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

As a Christian I whole heartedly agree that people see “ghosts” with their bare eyes, and through ITC. I whole heartedly believe they hear the “dead” through EVP recordings. But these are not our dead. They are the powers of the invisible dark world. They are the fallen angels (demons) whose whole existence is now bent on deceiving the world and turning them from God. I believe the demon world creates apparitions of the dead to lead us astray. Imitating the dead, in the form of ghosts, and audio recordings. While a high percentage of EVP and ITC recordings are hostile pointing to their true selves, the friendly recordings are mimicked voices. In most cases as the AA-EVP has documented they sounded a bit off from their old voice, a bit mechanical or broken.

One would be wise to asks about the Biblical story of King Saul using a medium to conjure up the spirit of the prophet Samuel. This is the real deal, Samuel himself is brought before Saul. But it even surprised the medium who was evidently expecting a apparition of Samuel, not the real deal.

Saul had disguised himself to visit the medium because as king he had banished them all from the region. As she starts the conjuring he ask the medium to bring up Samuel.

1 Samuel 28:11-12

“Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” 

“Bring up Samuel,” he said. 

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

She expected an unthreatening apparition of Samuel, but what she got was an interference by the most High God who allowed the real Samuel to visit. Through this she realized that her visitor was King Saul.

1 Samuel 28:13-15

“The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “ I see a spirit coming up from the ground.”

“What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” She said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

Here we see that Saul knows it IS Samuel. Not an imitation. And then Scripture says it is actually Samuel speaking. God had allowed this encounter far beyond the mediums apparitional powers.

See there is a dark world of demons whom we can encounter. Their voices are recorded on EVP recordings, and ITC tapes. They produce the apparitional ghosts sometimes seen by the naked eye. They are a part of our world, but they can only work with Christians by permission of God the Father. (See Job 1:6-12)

In the Fall 1989 newsletter for AA-EVP, Sarah Estep wrote,

“Obviously, no one starts taping, automatic writing or playing with the Ouija board, thinking they will become possessed or obsessed. But it can happen. As I wrote on page 196 of Voices of Eternity, The difficulty is in ascertaining who is susceptible… I am not trying to frighten people who are thinking about beginning to tape… Working in the field can bring some of the most rewarding, enriching experiences of your life. It would be amiss of me, however, not to caution you about the darker side of psi. Experienced tapers will tell you not to believe everything that comes through. You have your liars on the other side, as you have here. The more they realize they are getting you upset, the more they will continue.”

You heard it from the horses mouth, EVP and ITC along with Oujia boards and other devices of necromancy open the doors to demonic activity in your life.

Your loved one who passed away can not contact you through EVP, ITC, as a ghost or being channeled by a medium on tv. For a Christian to be away from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-7) not wandering the earth to be caught on tape. And for those who have died apart from Christ meet the torments of hell immediately with no pause for happy haunting (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9, Matthew 22:11-14).

Jesus warned us about these deceptions that would be coming in the end times. Matthew 24:24-25 Jesus said, “For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if it were possible. See that I have told you ahead of time.”

It is human and natural to be curious about the paranormal. But God has given us his Word to help us stay away from such evil. But we do not need to be afraid. 1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”