Déjà vu is a term which means “already seen.” We use this term when we are seeing or doing something and a strange feeling comes over us that we are “reliving this experience” though we’re actually having it for the first time. There are several views espoused to explain this.

1) Some Scientists believe it is a “chemical reaction in the brain where the brain misfires and causes us to confuse the present with the past.” Some go on to say that “people who suffer from temporal-lobe epilepsy frequently experience déjà vu during seizures.” Others say that people with “mental disorders like anxiety, dissociative identify disorder or schizophrenia” often experience déjà vu. The Bible does NOT address the experience known as déjà vu, so we have no scriptures to cite regarding this view.

2) Some religions teach that déjà vu is “the memory of past-life experiences.” In other words, they believe in REINCARNATION (the belief in “the rebirth of a soul in a new body”) and that déjà vu is one of the proofs that support their view. This is a blatant contradiction of the Bible, for scripture states clearly and emphatically, “It is appointed for MEN TO DIE ONCE, but after that the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NKJV). Men do not die and then come back to live another life in a different body. Men die once and then they must face “the judgment.” This verse is speaking of those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who became a Man to die on the cross for their sins. If they reject Him as their Savior their sins are not forgiven and they will be judged for those sins. Jesus referred to this in John 8:24, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

3) Some occultists (spiritual mediums, witches, spiritists, etc.) believe it is a gift that gives them “psychic abilities.” The Bible condemns all occult practices in Deuteronomy 18:10-12, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or ONE WHO PRACTICES WITCHCRAFT, or a SOOTHSAYER, or ONE WHO INTERPRETS OMENS, or a SORCERER, or one who conjures spells, or a MEDIUM, or a SPIRITIST, or one who call up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD.”

4) Some true Christians (i.e. believers in Christ) actually believe déjà vu could be a “spiritual gift” where God is trying to convey a message (a “prophecy” or a “word of knowledge”). Yet Scripture teaches us clearly that the gift of prophecy or the word of knowledge come from the Holy Spirit (see 1st Corinthians 12:4-11) and not from a strange feeling of a past event or conversation. We must make a clear distinction between these two.

We must repeat the fact that “the Bible does NOT address the experience known as déjà vu” so one should avoid any attempt to use Scripture in an attempt to explain it.  In closing, I like what one has said on this subject: “The experience could also simply be the result of something occurring that is very similar to an event in the past. The event triggers the memory, causing an ‘eerie’ sense of familiarity. Rather than being a spiritual issue, déjà vu is likely a simple and harmless physical one.”  (363.3)  (DO)