Pharmakeia is the root of the word pharmacy and means the use or administering of drugs, and by extension magic, poison, and witchcraft. Thayer's lexicon defines it as the use or administering of drugs, and the Britannica notes that pharmacy originally signified any kind of drug, hence also poison and witchcraft. Galatians 5:20 names it, translated as witchcraft or sorcery, as a work of the flesh, a deception of Satan that trusts chemicals instead of God to remove disease or pain. Revelation 18:23 declares that by Babylon's pharmakeia all the nations were deceived, so Babylon's use, preparation, and administering of drugs deceives the world. Its roots run back to ancient pagan medicine. King Ahaziah consulted Baalzebub, the god of medicine, instead of the God of Israel, and God pronounced death on him. The serpent emblem of Aesculapius and the medical profession points to Satan, who deceived Eve with "You shall not die" and handed the care of life to a priesthood of priest-doctors. Drugs are poisons that manage symptoms and harm the body, and those who administer them know they cannot cure. Revelation 21:8 places the pharmakeus, the druggist or poisoner, with murderers, idolaters, and liars in the lake of fire unless they repent. Each person must settle his own use of drugs between himself and God, since no human may judge another.

Sorcery in Galatians 5:19-21 is the Greek word pharmakeia, the root of the English words pharmacy and pharmaceutical. Paul lists it among the works of the flesh, placing it directly after idolatry and following adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and licentiousness. That order is no coincidence, because Scripture links spiritism with sexual sin and idolatry (Leviticus 20:6; Exodus 22:16-20; I Samuel 15:22-23). Sorcery is both spiritual prostitution and idolatry, so those who practice it will not inherit the Kingdom of God, since they are not fulfilling their covenant with God. Diviners, enchanters, witches, and sorcerers used drugs and potions to put themselves or their clients in the spirit so their magic would work. Drugs therefore came to stand for sorcery of every kind. For the same reason, drug use is part of the celebration among the more serious Halloween devotees today. Anyone who meddles in spiritism, whether witchcraft, divination, consulting a medium, or reading a horoscope, undermines his relationship with God, as a man who visits a prostitute damages his marriage. Occultism puts a wedge between God and the Christian and drives him away from God.

The term *pharmakeia* (G5331), linked to sorcery, is rooted in the use of drugs, herbs, and potions to induce magical effects, often accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, sorcery involved the use of various charms and amulets to impress others with the mysterious powers of the sorcerer, essentially creating a deceptive sham. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word *pharmakos*—related to the English word "pharmacy"—is used to describe this practice of magic through substances. Anciently, sorcery was tied to the influence of evil spirits or demons, and God condemns those who engage in such practices to death. Even if not always recognized as connected to evil spirits in modern contexts, sorcery remains an abomination in the eyes of God, associated with forcing nature to aid through conjuring methods, and is strictly forbidden as a detestable act.

The term *pharmakeia* (G5331), from which we derive our words pharmacy and pharmaceutical, is used in Galatians 5:20 as part of the works of the flesh, listed alongside adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, and idolatry. This word, often translated as sorcery, reflects the practices of enchanters, wizards, witches, or sorcerers who used drugs and potions to induce spiritual states or hallucinations, either for themselves or others, to facilitate their enchantments. These substances were not used for medicinal purposes but to aid in magical practices. Among serious Halloween devotees, drug use is noted as part of the celebration, believed to help them connect with the spirit world and experience visions. Such practices are condemned as they undermine the relationship with God, creating separation and aligning with rebellion and idolatry, which prevent inheritance of the Kingdom of God.

In Revelation 21:8, among the behavioral elements listed as leading to the Lake of Fire, the term "sorcerers" is rendered from the Greek words pharmakeus and pharmakos, each appearing once in the catalogs of Revelation 21:8 and 22:15, respectively. These terms concretely refer to individuals who prepare or use magical remedies or engage in sorcery. A related noun, pharmakeia (G5331), appears three times in the New Testament, denoting the use or administration of drugs, poisoning, sorcery, and magical arts, often linked with idolatry. Metaphorically, pharmakeia signifies the deceptions and seductions associated with idolatry. The first appearance of pharmakeia is in Galatians 5:20, where it is listed as a work of the flesh, translated as witchcraft. In Revelation 18:23, pharmakeia is defined within the context of the fall of Babylon the Great, indicating that by this sorcery, all nations were deceived. This sorcery is not limited to drugs but encompasses a broader poisoning of minds through worldwide deception, a tool used by Babylon to trick and lead nations astray. Further, in Revelation 9:20-21, during the trumpet plagues, mankind does not repent of their sorceries, identified as pharmakeia, alongside other sins like murders and sexual immorality. This passage connects these works to idolatry, implying that repentance from such deceptive practices could lead to turning away from worshiping demons and idols. Thus, pharmakeia represents a pervasive deceit, inspired by satan, aligning with his role as the father of lies and the destroyer of nations, ultimately contributing to the spiritual and physical ruin of those who practice it.

God warns in Revelation 9:21 and 18:23 of the sorcery of unrepentant mankind by which the merchants deceive the nations. Paul also lists sorcery as one of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20. The Greek word for sorcery is pharmakeia (Strong's 5331), from which we derive our words pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. It literally refers to the use of medicine, drugs, or poisons, often associated with occult rites. In the New Testament, pharmakeia is never used in a positive light; it consistently appears in a negative sense, as a sin. While not all drugs are inherently sinful, caution is essential when dealing with pharmaceuticals, whether natural or synthetic, due to their physical and potential spiritual dangers, especially those that alter the mind or are addictive. Some drugs may be necessary, such as insulin for a Type-1 diabetic, but God's warning through the term pharmakeia urges us to proceed with the utmost caution in these matters.

Sorcery appears in the catalog of works of the flesh drawn from Galatians 5:19-21. It is defined as the direct equivalent of the Greek term pharmakeia, denoting a drug or poison and supplying the root of the modern word pharmacy. All spells and enchantments employed such substances, which could serve either to remove an evil or to inflict one. Incantations were sometimes directed toward restoring health and at other times toward destroying an enemy. At root, the practice constitutes secret tampering with, and at times worship of, the powers of evil. This entry stands among the other works of the flesh that the surrounding society actively encourages through advertising, entertainment, and political messaging. Those who habitually practice such things, including sorcery, are declared unable to inherit the kingdom of God. The warning forms part of the larger exhortation to refuse the world's promotion of these corruptions and instead to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Revelation 9:21 the unrepentant cling to sorceries alongside murders, sexual immorality, and thefts. The text identifies this Greek term as pharmacon, denoting the use of drugs in magic and the preparation of magic potions. These practices form part of the broader refusal to abandon idolatry and the worship of demons, which the passage presents as the root cause producing the listed sins. The material notes that drugs remain a dominant influence in contemporary life, with people determined to retain them rather than submit to God. This attachment is shown as one more manifestation of the hardened resistance that prevents repentance even when divine judgment is poured out, thereby illustrating why the calls to repent in the letters to the seven churches must be heeded before the Day of the Lord arrives in full force.