“There shall not be found
among you … one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a
sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or
a necromancer. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the
LORD” (Deut.18:10-12).
Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this
question depends on what is meant by the term “ghosts.” If the term means
“spirit beings,” the answer is “yes.” If the term means “spirits of people who
have died,” the answer is “no.” The Bible makes it clear that there are spirit
beings, both good and evil. But the Bible negates the idea that the spirits of
deceased human beings can remain on earth and “haunt” the living. Hebrews 9:27 declares,
“Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” That is what
happens to a person’s soul-spirit after death—judgment. The result of this
judgment is heaven for the believer (II Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23)
and hell for the unbeliever (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24). There is no
in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth in spirit form as a
“ghost.”
Biblical evidence show, there is no spirit of the dead
roaming about the earth in spirit form. No one returns to earth and makes
appearances after death. Jesus made this fact quite clear in Luke 16:26. In the
passage a rich man who wanted a chance to return to earth from Hell and warn
his brothers, however, Abraham tells him: “And besides all this, between us and
you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you
cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” The simple fact is that
our loved ones are not going to return as apparitions in our homes after they past. They have moved on completely. If there are such things as ghosts,
according to the Bible, they are not the disembodied spirits of deceased human
beings. While angels and demons can roam our earth, God is not going to allow a
deceased loved one to come back into this world.
The Bible teaches very clearly that there are indeed
spirit beings that can connect with and appear in our physical world. Spirits
are often discussed throughout scripture. The Bible identifies these beings as
angels and demons. Angels are spirit beings who are faithful in serving God.
Angels are righteous, good, and holy. Demons are fallen angels, angels who
rebelled against God. Demons are evil, deceptive, and destructive. According to II
Corinthians 11:14-15, demons masquerade as “angels of light” and as “servants
of righteousness.”
Interest in the paranormal is becoming increasingly
common. Human beings are innately aware of the spiritual world. Sadly, instead
of seeking the truth about the spirit world by communing with God and studying
His Word, many people allow themselves to be led astray by the spirit world. Satan
takes advantage of people’s ignorance in order to victimize them. Ghosts use
their spiritual strength to harm humanity. In current times there is a
predominance of demons affecting mankind. All ghosts and demons are controlled
by Satan.
Satan runs a parallel government against God, which
is known as the “kingdom of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). Even though Satan is
wise, he is not the Omniscient that God is. Therefore, he counterfeits
everything in the kingdom of God in order to deceive the saints into false
worship.
Ghosts are demon spirits who are familiar with a
particular environment or family. Because they have been in that family or
environment far longer than even the humans, they are ‘familiar’ with the history of
the family and the environment as well, and so are able to mimic the person(s)
they disguise/masquerade as. Do not be ignorant of Satan’s devices nor allow
yourself to be taken in by his lies. “People are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
Ghosts can take up any form. These forms can however
change, depending on what the ghost is trying to achieve. For example, if the
ghost is trying to intimidate, it will take up an intimidating form, whereas if
it is trying to fool a spiritual person it may take a form of an angel. They
can also take the form of our departed ancestors thus misleading psychics and the
people who come to psychics to enquire about departed relatives. This is true
in almost all cases. Appearing as a “ghost” and impersonating a deceased human
being definitely seem to be within the power and abilities that demons possess.
What about instances in which “ghosts” act in
“positive” ways? What about psychics who claim to summon the deceased and gain
true and useful information from them? Again, it is crucial to remember that
the goal of demons is to deceive. If the result is that people trust in a
psychic instead of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal true
information. Even good and true information, if from a source with evil
motives, can be used to mislead, corrupt, and destroy.
The New Age term for these spirits are
"positive energies" or "good spirits" and if the encounters
are severe they call it a "negative energies" or "dark
energies" or "bad spirits". In extreme cases they would say its
a "dark entity" or a "demon."
These energies are thought to be the spirits of the
dead who are trapped in limbo, not having a crossover into the light. These
spirits are said to linger in their past house or property or even attached
themselves to a family member. This is called Haunted. These spirits lurking
around properties are in fact Demons taking up personalities of a dead person,
but is not the actual dead person themselves.
Though haunting is real, there is no limbo as the
New Agers are teaching and there is no purgatory as the Catholic Church
teaches. The soul of a person goes straight to heaven or hell after death, no
coming back. The souls of the dead are set within the confine of eternity and
their judgment, Hebrews 9:27; they are constrained by the laws of their
destination, (Luke 16:20-31).
One of the most profound scripture on this is found
in: Job 7:9, “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth
down to the grave shall come up no more. Job 7:10, “He shall return no more to
his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.” Also in Ecclesiastes
9:5, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything,
neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also
their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have
they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.”
Ghosts are demons posing as dead
people. Satan and his followers are liars, intent on spreading
confusion, fear, and distrust of God. If they can convince mediums, like the
witch of Endor (I Samuel 28), that they actually communicate with the
dead, those demons can lure many away from God: “…in order that Satan might not
outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (II Corinthians 2:11)
The Bible tells us that a spiritual realm does
exist, invisible to human eyes. It is populated by God and his angels, Satan,
and his fallen angels, or demons. Despite the claims of unbelievers, there are
no ghosts wandering about the earth. The spirits of deceased humans inhabit one
of two places: heaven or hell.