The law given through Moses explicitly forbade consulting mediums or spiritists, and King Saul's disastrous attempt to contact Samuel through a medium is presented as an act of unfaithfulness that hastened his downfall. Because Scripture describes the dead as sleeping, unaware of anything happening in the world of the living, any voice or presence claiming to be a deceased person is not what it appears to be. This warning protects grieving people from being exploited or deceived, and it points them instead toward genuine comfort found in prayer, Scripture's promises, and the sure hope of the resurrection when loved ones in Christ will be reunited.
The great controversy reveals God's character as Christ ministers as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The dead await the resurrection, Christ's return will be visible and personal, and prophecy calls believers to faithful mission rather than date-setting or fear.