Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Well maybe some people don’t, but there are many of us who do. Like me. All of my life I have loved horror movies, and books, and even comic books. Movies like, “Night of The Living Dead”, “13 Ghosts”, “The Ring”, or even, “The Ghost And Mister Chicken”. Anything that could make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I remember as a kid, looking forward to local television shows like, “Horror Incorporated”, or “Creature Feature”. I even read horror themed comic books. Even now on television there are a number of ghost related programs, including programs where they actually go hunting for ghosts. Ghosts, are they real?
Where Did It Start?
The belief in ghosts goes back thousands of years, with many people saying they have actually seen ghosts, or lived in a haunted house. Was it real? Did they really have an experience with the paranormal, or was their imagination just running out of control? Of course there are also many people who claim there is no such thing as ghosts. Are ghost real, or not? There are so many views on this topic.
Ghosts Are Mentioned In The Bible
Ghosts are even mentioned in the bible. In Matthew 14:25-26, when Jesus walked out to the disciples boat, walking on the water, when they first saw him, they were afraid because they thought he was a ghost. This same event is also recorded in Mark, and Luke. Again in Luke 24:37-39, after the resurrection when Jesus appeared to the disciples, they, at first, thought he was a ghost. Well, what does the bible have to say about ghosts? First let’s find out what a ghost is.
What Is A Ghost?
According to, How Stuff Works, a ghost is the spirit of a dead person who has not moved on to the afterlife, or has returned from it. So basically, a ghost is the spirit of someone who has died, who, for some reason, has not moved on to the afterlife.
Ghosts In The Bible
Are there any actual cases in the bible where it talks about a person’s spirit not being able to move on to the afterlife? According to Bibleinfo, the word ghost shows up 108 times in the King James version of the bible, but it is never used as describing the disembodied spirit of someone who has died. It is used in only two ways. It appears in the phrase, “to give up the ghost,” meaning to die. The other way it is used is in the title, “the Holy Ghost”. The third person of the Trinity.
What happens to us when we die?
Well for Christians, we can take comfort in what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, I say, and willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” According to Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, this means that if death comes before the return of Christ, to accept death because even if it does not bring with it the glory of our resurrected bodies, it does make us at home with Christ among the souls who wait for the resurrection. Also, Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and then the judgment.” Also, John 5:24, “Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” So for the believer, when we die, we go to be with Christ. That does not sound like we would be wandering the earth after death, and why would we even want to, when we could be with Christ.
So We Don’t Become A Ghost When We Die?
The bible makes it pretty clear. When we die, if we are a believer, we go to be with God. If we are not, we are separated from His presence. Also, usually when there is a reference in the bible to spiritual beings, it is either an angel, or a demon. There is never any mention of disembodied spirits roaming the earth, or haunting a certain area.
So What Are They Talking About?
So what are these people who said they have had a paranormal experience really seeing? Are they actually experiencing something or are they just imagining it? There are evil spirits in the world who are fallen angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God and were cast out of heaven. Revelation 12:9. “These evil spirits, or demons, along with Satan are great deceivers.” So what most people think of as ghosts, are actually fallen angels trying to deceive us. Why? To lure us away from God. Nowhere in the bible does it give reference to any disembodied human spirit walking the earth.
The Witch of Endore
The bible does talk about the Witch of Endore in 1 Samuel 28: 7-20. Saul was preparing to go into battle against the Philistines. The Lord had left him due to his disobedience, and Samuel was dead, but Saul wanted to get a prediction about the outcome of the battle, so he consulted a witch to call up Samuel’s spirit, even though God forbids it. In Leviticus 19:12 it says, “Do not turn to mediums, or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.”
Was Samuel’s Spirit Really Called Up?
There has been some debate on whether the Witch of Endore actually called Samuel’s spirit, or if it was a demon impersonating Samuel. One thing to note is that Saul never saw the being. He had his face to the ground. Also, it was noted it came up out of the earth instead of down from heaven. Also, it made a prediction that Saul would be killed by the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 28: 19 it says, “The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.” In actuality though, Saul committed suicide. 1 Samuel 31:4-6. The point being, that prophecies through God’s prophets were always correct. Also, if it was actually Samuel, God would have actually had to intervene and allow it to happen, but it would go against what He commanded. I myself am inclined now to believe that it may have been a demon impersonating Samuel. That’s just my opinion.
In Conclusion
I firmly believe that the bible does not support the idea of disembodied human spirits wandering the earth, or haunting different areas such as houses, cemeteries, or any other place. I believe these to be fallen angels, or demons impersonating ghosts to draw people away from God, by suggesting there is eternal life apart from God, where you don’t need God’s salvation. What do you think? Please feel free to leave questions or comments.