When the Bible, God's Word, tells us to beware, we must pay attention and take great precautions to what it is warning us about! There are so many times we ignore God's warning and find out the hard and painful way the consequences of our disobedience. Here are some important warnings we are to heed from the New Testament.
Beware of False Signs!
Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed. - Matthew 16:1-4
In this passage, note "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening." Have you ever wondered where the saying "red at night, sailor's delight; red in the morning, sailor's warning" came from? The Bible! God created the stars, sun, moon, and sky to not only give us light but to show us the weather forecast, seasons, and time. "And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so." ( Genesis 1:14-15).
Here, Jesus is telling the Pharisees and Sadducees that they "know how to discern the face of the sky" however, they can't understand or see the signs of the times. God tells us the signs of the times, what the end will look like, what we need to keep an eye out for so we know Jesus is coming soon, however so many people reject His Word, ignore the signs He has told us about, or are impatient, not wanting to wait on His timing, and given up. This shows true faith vs. false faith. Anyone can claim to believe and worship God, but true belief and faith come with trusting in His Word, patiently and actively waiting for Jesus' return with hope for the future, and obedience to God! Click here to read about the signs of the times
Doesn't God give us signs? Yes, but when we look for signs to prove our belief, or are sensitive to any sign we see that is extremely dangerous! God does give us signs, sometimes, but so does the devil and the demons! If we are saying, "I will believe when I see" or test God, that is a sin! Faith is believing WITHOUT seeing and is something that we will be rewarded for in heaven. If you have to see to believe, then you will be very disappointed and only gain a hardened heart and damnation, there is a whole world that is unseen and a battle that is invisible.
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:29
What happens when we are focused on the sign and not the Almighty?
We lose sight of the true purpose, we lose sight of God and instead become absorbed in demonic trickery. Why do you think people go to mediums or palm readers? They want to know what God has not allowed them to know, they want a sign. You have fake mediums and palm readers but you also have those who are followers of the devil, "prophesizing" through demonic means. Why is it so bad to seek answers or information from mediums, horoscopes, and spiritists? Because it is going against God, it is stating that you do not trust what God is doing and can do for you. It is stating that you believe God is not in control of ALL things. If we want to know what will happen in our future, seek God's Word. There are no ghosts, no spirits of our loved ones or those dead who are wandering the earth haunting us or waiting here because of "unfinished business". There are only two places where those who have passed away live, in heaven or in hell. The "ghosts" are demons playing on the emotions and weaknesses of people who long to either "see/speak" with their loved one or people who make it their hobby or career to try to prove ghosts exist. We are NOT and I stress NOT to seek out these things! Demons are not to be focused on or sought after. We are to focus on God and seek after His truth and wisdom!
“‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 19:31
When someone tells 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? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. - Isaiah 8:19-20