Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

purpose of trickery.
In ancient times sorcery and witchcraft were founded upon a
belief that one could talk with the dead. Those who practiced these
arts claimed to obtain a knowledge of future events through departed
spirits. "When they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and
wizards, who whisper and mutter,' should not a people seek their
God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isaiah
8:19).
The gods of the heathen were believed to be the spirits of
departed heroes who had risen to the level of gods, so the religion of
the heathen was a worship of the dead. Speaking of the apostasy of
the Israelites, the psalmist says, "They joined themselves also to
Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead" (Psalm 106:28),
that is, offered to the dead.
In nearly every system of heathenism, the dead were believed
to reveal their will to human beings, and also, when consulted, to
give them counsel. Even in so-called Christian lands, the practice of
talking with beings claiming to be the spirits of the dead has become
widespread. Spirit beings sometimes appear in the form of deceased
friends and tell personal experiences from their lives and do things
that they did while alive. In this way they lead people to believe that
their dead friends are angels. For many people, what they hear from
this supposed dead loved ones has greater weight than the Word of
God.
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