We often hear of ghost sightings. Whether it is people saying they see people from the past or loved ones, but are they really? According to various posts, about 50% of Americans believe in ghosts. In this post we are going to discuss what the Bible says about “ghosts.”
First of all, the Bible is pretty clear we should not be seeking out dead loved ones. Whether you feel they are real or not, we should not be trying to seek out Grandma Betty who has been dead for 10 years. Leviticus 9:12 says, “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.”
Galations 5:19-21 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” These are just two verses among many others.
We also need to define what a ghost is. Most people think that a ghost is a person’s soul who has died and is trapped on Earth. According to Webster’s dictionary a ghost can mean a disembodied soul like mentioned above or a demon.
Let’s first look at the disembodied soul definition. One part of the Bible people will use to say that ghosts can exist in this fashion is the passage about how Saul went to a medium. 1 Samuel 28:7-20 says a witch/medium summoned Samuel, who was dead, for Saul so he could talk to him. This was a direct violation of what the Lord commanded as mentioned above. However, Samuel appeared to be summoned. Some believe this was truly Samuel and God allowed him to come speak to Saul. Some believe is was a demonic presence disguised as Samuel, and some believe it was a different force altogether.
Compounding the possible fact that Samuel was actually summoned, Isaiah 8:19-20 says, “And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” Isaiah seems to leave the possibility that mediums could summon the dead.
The argument that disembodied souls can’t exist has verses associated with it as well. Possibly the most popular is 2 Corinthians 5:8 “…we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” This verse suggests no room for ghosts of this type on Earth. If we are dead, then we are no longer on the Earth and present with God.
Revelation 20:13-14 says, “The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.” This implies that the sinners who haven’t accepted Jesus are in Hades or a holding place until they are judged and thrown into Hell. If they are in holding, then they wouldn’t be roaming the Earth.
Job 7:9-10 says, “As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore.” According to this verse a soul cannot come back and inhabit where they were.
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6: “For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.” Here we see that the Bible says the dead will not have a share in anything done in the world anymore.
Another perspective to think about is this. I had a friend tell me once that the Bible does not say Satan has the power to resurrect the dead. I haven’t found any verses implying that he could either. So if witchcraft is evil and evil comes from Satan but Satan cannot resurrect humans then how could he raise the dead for mediums? Instead he would send demons in figure of the dead to them.
Let’s turn to the demon perspective. The Bible is pretty clear that demons along with angels can be on Earth; there’s no debating that. There are numerous mentions of demons being cast out of people (Luke 8:26-29), angels as messengers (John 20:12), and demons affecting humans on Earth (1 Timothy 4:1), but what about taking the shape of a loved one or friend?
I am going to use the example of Sodom and Gomorrah here in Genesis 19. Angels came to warn Lot to leave Sodom and Gomorrah as humans. We know this because the town’s people saw no difference between them and a normal human. This means angels and demons can be in the form of someone we know because demons are fallen angels. We need to be careful of this because if we think we see a loved one, it could be Satan trying to cause confusion and deceive us.
Further reading in Hebrews supports the power of angels to take human form. Hebrews 13:2 says “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” This verse alone shows that angels can be on Earth and look like ordinary people.
Based on all of this information, would I say ghosts are real by some definitions given? Absolutely yes. However, I say again, do not seek out these beings. Satan and his demons’ goal is to destroy us. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Be careful about what you think you see and what you seek.
Also, it is important not to be afraid of knowing these things can be around you. Fear is of the devil. As Christians, we have power over these demons by the support of God and his angels, which also roam the Earth.
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”- 1 John 4:4
“For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.” -Psalm 91:11-13
Let me know your thoughts! Leave a comment below!
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