The Bible is clear that we cannot communicate with the dead, as those who have passed away are in a fixed state and cannot return to speak with the living. While many people seek out mediums or “ghost hunters” to find closure, Scripture warns that any supernatural response received is not from a loved one, but from deceptive spiritual forces. Christians are encouraged to seek comfort in God rather than attempting to contact the deceased.
The Biblical Boundary Between Life and Death
Scripture describes a firm boundary between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. Once a person dies, their soul goes to one of two places: into the presence of the Lord or into a state of separation from Him. In Jesus’ teaching about the rich man and Lazarus, he emphasizes that there is a “great chasm” fixed between these realms that no one can cross. The dead are not wandering the earth as spirits waiting to be contacted; they are in their eternal destination.
Because of this fixed state, the Bible presents death as a finality regarding earthly communication. While the desire to speak with a lost family member is a deeply human and empathetic feeling, the Bible suggests that the dead are occupied with their new reality. They do not have the permission or the ability to “check in” on the living or provide guidance from the beyond. Seeking this contact is an attempt to bypass the natural order God has established.
“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)
The Danger of Deceptive Spirits
If the Bible says the dead cannot talk to us, then who are people talking to when they visit a medium? The biblical perspective is that fallen angels, or demons, are capable of great deception. Because these spirits have existed for ages, they possess knowledge about deceased individuals that can easily be used to impersonate them. A medium may reveal a “secret” only a grandmother knew, but this information often comes from a spiritual source intended to mislead the seeker.
This is why God’s warnings against “consulting the dead” are so stern throughout the Old and New Testaments. Engaging with these practices opens a door to spiritual darkness and shifts a person’s trust away from God’s Word and toward deceptive signs and wonders. The Bible doesn’t say that supernatural experiences aren’t “real”—it says they are often dangerous and rooted in lies meant to pull people away from the truth of Christ.
“Do not let anyone detestable be found among you who… is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
Saul and the Medium of Endor
One of the most famous and debated stories in the Bible regarding this topic is King Saul’s visit to the medium of Endor. Desperate for guidance, Saul asked her to “bring up” the prophet Samuel. In a rare and terrifying exception, God allowed a message from the real Samuel to be delivered to Saul. However, the medium herself was shocked and frightened, suggesting this was not her usual “trick” or demonic imitation, but a unique act of judgment from God.
This event was not an endorsement of séances. In fact, the Bible records that this act of seeking a medium was one of the primary reasons Saul lost his kingdom and his life. It serves as a haunting warning: seeking hidden knowledge from the dead is a form of spiritual rebellion. Instead of seeking Samuel, Saul should have been repenting and seeking the Lord. The story confirms that the “default” for humans is a lack of access to the deceased, and any attempt to force that access is met with divine disapproval.
“So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance.” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
Finding Closure in Christ
The urge to communicate with the dead usually stems from a place of deep grief, regret, or a lack of closure. For the Christian, the answer to this pain is not found in a dark room with a medium, but in the light of the Gospel. We are promised that for those who believe in Jesus, death is not a permanent goodbye but a temporary separation. We find our peace in the “blessed hope” of the resurrection and the promise that we will be reunited with other believers in the presence of God.
Instead of looking backward to the dead, we are called to look upward to the Living God. He is the “God of all comfort” who understands our sorrow more deeply than any spirit could. When we feel the weight of loss, we can take our questions and our heartaches directly to the Holy Spirit. He provides a peace that surpasses understanding—a peace that doesn’t require a bridge to the afterlife because the Bridge-builder is already living within us.
The Takeaway
Can we communicate with the dead? According to the Bible, the answer is no. Death creates a temporary but total separation between the living and the deceased. While the spiritual world is real, any “communication” received through mediums or séances is a deceptive counterfeit from spiritual forces. Rather than seeking answers from those who have passed, Christians are called to trust in the sufficiency of Scripture and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, looking forward to the day of resurrection.
