No, the dead cannot communicate with us. There is no scripture in the Bible that tells us that the dead can communicate, at all. On the contrary, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 tells us: “the dead know nothing. … They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.” (New Living Translation) That would pretty much rule out communicating with anyone in the world today. Genesis 3:19 says that we will “return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

You may think, “Yes, but that is our body that returns to the ground, not our souls; our souls go to heaven.” You may indeed think that, but there is NO scripture that tells us that we have an immortal soul that goes to heaven (or any other place). On the contrary, Genesis 2:7 explains that God formed man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (or living being). People do not have souls; they are souls–a combination of our physical body and the breath of life. 

You might say that you or someone you knew consulted with a medium and communicated with a deceased loved one or had a Ouija board and communicated with them. Or there may have been a “feeling” that a deceased loved one was near. But since the dead know nothing and really are dead, how did you get these communications or feelings? We can be tricked by the fallen angels. Matthew 25:40-41 is our Lord speaking about the devil and his angels which will be destroyed for deceiving people. Revelation 12:9 and 2 Peter 2:4 says that God expelled the Devil, and his angels that sinned, from heaven and cast them down to the earth. Yes, angels can and do sin; some have chosen to follow the devil as we can see from the above scriptures. These angels can and do deceive people.

What does God think about mediums or witches, who act as though they communicate with the dead? Lev. 20:27 (ESV) reads, “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death.” Deut. 18:10-12, “Let no one be found among you who…practices divination, ..is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” Since the Lord finds this detestable, we may definitely understand He would never bless any type of spiritism.

Some people wonder about the Bible account of Saul visiting the witch of Endor in order to talk with God’s prophet Samuel (then deceased). I Sam. 28 narrates how the Philistines were amassing their army to fight Israel. Saul was terrified. “He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.” (verse 6) When the LORD didn’t communicate with Saul, Saul should have submitted to the LORD’s silence. But instead, Saul decided to go to a medium in Endor. The story continues to say the obedient prophet Samuel appeared during the seance!? What? Did God change His mind about mediums? Did God send Samuel to talk with Saul through a witch? No. A disobedient angel acted as Samuel and simply quoted what Samuel told Saul in 1 Sam. 15:23. It was that fallen angel who believed Israel would fall to the Philistines.

Over the years people have said that they have experienced communicating with deceased loved ones. Experts have researched this phenomenon and have suggested that *our minds can be deceived by the power of suggestion: what we expect influences our behavior, for better or worse.

Our expectations set us up to get to the outcome we expect.  Once we anticipate a specific outcome will occur, our subsequent thoughts and behaviors will actually help to bring that outcome to fruition.  But it’s not just a deliberate suggestion that influences our thought and behaviors–suggestions that are not deliberate can have the very same effects.

In conclusion, the Bible tells us the soul is the union of the body and the breath of life. When the body dies, the soul ceases. No dead person can communicate with the living. And God tells us He abhors it when the fallen angels support this type of deception.

* Grief and loneliness can play tricks with our minds, making us desperately desire to communicate with deceased loved ones, and open to the suggestion that this is possible. We must be very careful what we wish for.