Just what are ghosts? Have you ever thought you saw a ghost or said to yourself, “Egad. I see ghosts!” What are you seeing, exactly?
Some people report seeing the disembodied spirits of humans, which sometimes appear to them, sometimes haunt certain locations, and sometimes reenacting the violence that led to their demise.
There’s No Such Thing As Ghosts
My favorite show as a child was the cartoon Scooby Doo. I watched it every day on WGN after school, except when the Chicago Cubs were on… reason enough for my disdain of the Cubs!
In that particular iteration of the Scooby Doo franchise, the Mystery Gang often came across some ghostly mystery. “There’s no such thing as ghost,” Velma or Fred would invariably declare, and they’d prove it by unmasking the villain, pretending to be a ghost.
This presented a materialist view of ghosts: there aren’t any. That view set very well with me, and agreed with what my Pentecostal pastor told me when I asked if there were such things as ghosts. Later, when I became an atheist and embraced the materialist worldview, this view continued to sit very well.
Many people hold this view. Any “ghost” can be explained through naturalistic causes. Things that went “bump in the night” were easily explainable once you set aside the spirit of fear.
Ghosts are demons?
One of the supernatural views of ghosts is held by many evangelical Christians.
This view of ghosts declares that any manifesting spirit is actually a demonic spirit masquerading as ghosts, for the purpose of creating fear and deception.
An example of interpreting a ghostly appearance from this perspective would be when someone goes to a psychic and asks to speak to a dearly departed loved one. Perhaps the dead relative forgot to reveal the location of the will before passing. So the family contacts a psychic, who breaks through the cosmic veil to the other side, brings the ghost forth, asks for the hidden knowledge, and then reveals it to the relative. Many Christians interpret this situation as the psychic actually consulting a familiar spirit (a demonic spirit), who, through the network of spirits that watch us, has received the hidden information from a watcher spirit. The point of revealing even accurate information is to foster rebellion and sin, open spiritual doorways to demonic presences, and to deflect faith from the God who loves us.
Typically, people who interpret ghostly apparitions this way believe that when someone dies, the spirit goes to God, who then sends it to heaven or hell. No one remains on this side of the cosmic veil. Some believe that human spirits actually become angels.
Ghosts are the Human Dead
A popular conception of ghosts, the view propagated by most paranormal researchers (a.k.a. ghost hunters), psychics, and popular culture at large, holds that when someone dies, for whatever reason, the spirit does not cross over to the other side and instead becomes a ghost. The reasons for this include
- Death by a traumatic event, murder, car accident, etc.
- Unfinished business to attend to
- May not realize they have died
- Emotionally distraught loved ones
- Emotional connection to loved ones
- Cannot rest due to injustice done against them
- Fear of judgment
A History of the word Ghost
The English word “ghost” has a long history[ref]This section relies on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which not only provides modern definition of English words, but also every definition an English word had at any time in history, complete with a reference of its use. The OED’s listing for ghost is quite long and fascinating.[/ref].
“Ghost” is derived from an old Teutonic word ,which includes these meanings: “fury, anger, terrify, to wound, tear to pieces.”
In about 1200 AD, “ghost” had at least three meanings: “a good spirit, an angel”, “an evil spirit”, and “an incorporeal being; a spirit.”
In 1250, the word “ghost” was used as the equivalent of breath of life, or “spirit, the immaterial part of man, as distinct from the body or material, the seat of feeling, thought and moral action.” It held the equivalence of “spirit” for many centuries.
In 1377, “ghost” was used as an English word to mean “the soul or spirit, as the principle of life.”
In 1387, it added the meaning of “A person”, as in “soul.”
The oldest definition of ghost dates back to Old English (gastae), around 800 AD, where a ghost was “the soul of a deceased person, spoken of inhabiting the unseen world.” This is a common definition of “spirit” today.
Chaucer’s use of “ghost” in the 14th Century to mean the “soul of a deceased person, spoken of appearing in a visible form, or otherwise manifesting its presence, to the living” solidified its definition through the centuries. In fact, this definition currently reflects the prevailing meaning of the word and is usually how I mean it.
Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit?
As mentioned above, as early as 800 AD, “ghost” became equivalent with “spirit.” An obvious example of this use is the King James Version of the Bible, first translated in 1611, referred to the Third Person of the Trinity as “Holy Ghost.”
In the modern era, however, “ghost” no longer is used to mean “spirit.” Even in the 1600s, associating the Living God with a disembodied spirit of a dead person didn’t sit well with some Christians. The first recorded use of “Holy Spirit” for the Third Person of the Trinity was actually 1375. However, a hymn from 1653 (“Come, Holy Spirit”) popularized the move from using the words “Holy Ghost” to “Holy Spirit.” The word “spirit” already was connoting life, whereas “ghost” death.
The Revised Version of the Bible released in 1881 replaced “Holy Ghost” with “Holy Spirit”, and most modern English translations follow this convention.
The Bible’s View of Ghosts
Ghosts in the Old Testament
The Old Testament was originally written in Ancient Hebrew (except for a few chapters in the Book of Daniel). The Old Testament writers used several Hebrew words to indicate different kinds of spirits, including “rephaim” (spirit of dead giants or pagan kings), “metim” (spirit of the dead), “shedim” (demons), and others.
Looking at just the biblical idea behind the word “ob” will be enough to cast doubt on the traditional evangelical view mentioned above.[ref]Drawn the “Spirits of the Dead” entry in the “Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible”, by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst.[/ref]
The Hebrew term “ob” occurs seventeen times in the Old Testament, always referring to communicating with the human dead or another kind of spirit.
They could contact “metim” – spirit of the human dead, or “ittim” – a ghost.
Ask yourself: if contact with spirits were anything but the human dead – ghosts – then why would this word be used in the Bible? Why the distinction?
Simple: because ghosts aren’t demons.
In fact, the Bible clearly indicates the disembodied human dead can still exist on earth.
“Ob” occurs nine times is in the context of ancestral worship or the deification of one’s ancestors, particularly in reference to cults God wanted the Hebrews to avoid. Examples include the context of “apply oneself as in a cult” (Lev 19:31, 20:6), “to seek out” (Lev 19:31), “to have recourse to in order to inquire” (Isa 8:19, 19:3), “to whore after” (Lev 20:6). These cults conferred with the human dead, specifically their ancestors, and practicing them was a capital offense in Ancient Israel.
Good kings like the young Saul (1 Sam 28: 3,9) and King Josiah (2 Kings 23:24) sought to eliminate cults that communicated with the spirits of dead humans (ghosts). Evil Kings promoted them (Manasseh in 2 Kings 21:6).
Five times, the use of “ob” implies necromancy and deals with the direct interrogation of the dead, or directing inquiry of the dead (Deut 18:11; 1 Chron 10:13). Specialists (mediums) were invoked to consult ghosts (1 Sam 28:7). These were capital offenses in Ancient Israel.
Twice, the term ‘ob’ suggests fortune telling. It is doubtful in these two situations that the passages reflects the spirits of a dead, but instead refers to a soothsaying spirit (a.k.a., not a the spirit of a dead human). Someone could have one of these spirits (Lev 20:27): a capital offense in Israel. By the time of Isaiah, the phenomenon of necromancy (conjuring and consulting with ghosts) had transformed into fortune telling by mediums and was also condemned.
The Old Testament writers, therefore, assumed it was possible to confer with dead humans and other familiar spirits, and the thought of doing so was so horrifying, practitioners were at risk of the death penalty. God confirms this view throughout scripture.
If it was impossible to contact ghosts, or if ghosts were merely demons masquerading as ghosts, then there would be no need to have laws against talking to ghosts. The laws forbidding talking with demons would be enough. I
f there was any confusion, the Old Testament writers under God’s inspiration would just clarify that the mediums were contacting demons. But there was no confusion. Necromancers contacted dead humans, and mediums contacted demons.
Thus the worldview espoused in the Old Testament indicates that ghosts can be contacted and they are a separate category of spirits from demons.
The New Testament Confirms the Old Testament view of Ghosts
In the New Testament, ghosts are also assumed by Jesus’ disciples to be the disembodied spirits of humans who wandered the earth. When they saw something that looked like a ghost, they believed it was a ghost (Matthew 14:26, Mark 6:49, Luke 24:37). They never mistook something that looked like a ghost to be a demon. In fact, they tended to be afraid of ghosts, but they weren’t afraid of demons (Matthew 14:26, Luke 10:17).
During the First Century in the Roman Empire (when the New Testament was written and compiled), ghost stories were a popular genre, even as they are today. And like today, the genre followed a formula. The New Testament authors took advantage of the familiarity their first century audience had with the ghost story genre while constructing their ghostly narratives. [ref]http://nakedbiblepodcast.podbean.com/2012/09/16/naked-bible-025-the-bibles-literary-context-greco-roman-ghost-stories-and-the-gospels/[/ref]
The New Testament worldview is consistent with the Old Testament worldview. Ghosts are the disembodied human dead, and a separate category from demonic spirits.
The evangelical view that all ghosts are merely demons posing as the dearly departed is inconsistent with the worldview presented in the Bible. It is also inconsistent with the view presented by the popular culture.
How can you tell the difference between ghosts and demons?
You probably cannot, at least not without help.
Humans cannot tell the difference between a ghost and a demon. You just can’t be sure. There is only one spirit you should be talking to: the Holy Spirit (God).
Even seers who actually see ghosts or spirits with their eyes cannot be sure they are seeing a ghost or a demonic spirit that is masquerading as a ghost. Only with the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment can you be sure if it’s a human spirit at play, a demonic spirit, or the Holy Spirit. Even then, it’s been my experience that most people raised in the Western culture just cannot tell for certain the difference between a ghost and a demon; their discernment is muted by physical stimuli. Indeed, it sometimes takes some practice to discern the presence of the Holy Spirit.
If you see a ghost, and you’re just sure it’s your dearly departed grandmother, then so be it. Do not try and converse with it. Because you just don’t know for certain.
When psychics conjure ghosts for consultation, the psychics may not be able to accurately discern if the spirits are demons in disguise or actually the dearly departed. They may not actually care, as long as they perceive the revealed answers are helpful for their clients. But just attempting to talk to the dead is dangerous. For that matter, apart from the Holy Spirit, trying to talk to any spirit is dangerous. (Talking to the Holy Spirit can be dangerous, too, actually,… for the enemy! The Holy Spirit tends to draw people to Jesus).
Francis MacNutt addresses this issue in his Deliverance from Evil Spirits. In his chapter on different kinds of spirits, the section on familiar spirits, MacNutt writes:
The first theory is that they are simply masquerading as the souls of the dead, so as to excite people’s curiosity about departed relatives, and hence to entice them into communicating with the dead through séances and other forbidden activities.
If this is true, then these evil spirits are to be treated like any other category of evil spirits and simply cast out. Most Christians of evangelical background prefer this understanding of familiar spirits.
The second theory is that these familiar spirits are truly the dead who are not at rest. In this case, we should treat them not as evil spirits but as departed spirits who need prayer to commend them to Jesus, so that they might be set at rest and cease their wanderings.
Here, of course, we see the relation to the tradition of ghosts, haunted houses, and other mysterious phenomena that excite the curiousity and form the subject matter of many of our horror films. Here too, we apply the long Christian tradition of praying blessings and exorcisms for places where these fearsome hauntings and visitations take place.
MacNutt examines briefly Ken McAll’s Healing the Family Tree. McAll, a psychiatrist and former missionary to China, came to believe many of his incurable psychiatric patients were victims of ancestral control. By drawing up a family tree with the patient, McAll tries to identify the relative or ancestor causing the patient harm. He then “cuts the bond between the ancestor and patient through a prayer service, that commits the departed spirit to Jesus and cuts the living person free.”[ref]MacNutt, Page 91.[/ref]
Whether you’re dealing with a ghost or a demon, the prayer for deliverance is the same (spoken by a Christian): “I command you to go to Jesus Christ, for Jesus to deal with you in His justice and mercy.” With this prayer, you are safe in letting the Lord work out the theological questions while you set someone or something free from spiritual oppression.[ref]Ibid.[/ref]
Seers see ghosts
I have spoken with many seers who are certain that some of the spirits they see aren’t demons, but are in fact ghosts.
Maybe that’s you. Maybe you see ghosts. Maybe you’ve been to funerals and have seen the physical body in the casket and a matching spirit nearby watching. So be it. Don’t fret. Don’t obsess. Don’t contact it. If you feel compelled to contact it, tell the spirit to go to Jesus.
If the compulsion to talk with spirits overwhelms you, you need to be set free, because that compulsion is not from God, but from the enemy. Contact us for help.
It’s likely the spiritual realm is far more complicated than we realize, and our earthly destiny is not to obsess with the spiritual realm. Our purpose is to image God on the planet: bring order to chaos, stop injustice, help the poor, care for the sick, and bring beauty to all things in love and peace, according to the God’s will.
My view is this: The supernatural biblical worldview is accurate. Ghosts exist. Don’t mess with them.
In addition to all you say in this article, I’d also like to add that the account of Jesus walking on the water is also a very much overlooked Scripture when it comes to the existence of ghosts. Jesus calls himself the way, the truth and the life in the gospel of John, and we find in the Old Testament that God says of himself that he is not a man that he would lie. So if there was no such thing as ghosts, then why did Jesus not rebuke his disciples when he walked on the water and they thought he was a ghost?
I agree!
The clear teaching of the bible is that dead people don’t interact with the living. Ghosts are not the spirits of dead people but hallucinations produced by demons. If a person is seeing ghosts they really need to have the demons which produce the hallucinations of ghosts cast out.
If a person is seeing demons they are also already in trouble. Demons do not have bodies- material or spiritual. They are persons without bodies who long to live inside a human host. We discern their presence but if we are seeing them it means they are inside of us producing a hallucination.
Hi there – this interpretation of ghosts as ‘”dead people who long to live inside a human host” is interesting, however unbiblically sound. It is difficult to find a biblically sound definition of demons in our Bible to be sure! As Gonz Shimura said it in one of his interviews, we have Genesis 6 in the OT, then no mention of demons until Jesus starts casting them out of people in the NT! Where’s the bridge? And what the heck are these things? Well, if we ask the Lord He will lead us into ALL truth. The Lord must show this to each one of us for ourselves, but for me, He lead me to the biblically-endorsed extra-biblical book of Enoch. In Enoch 15, it talks about the judgement the Lord exacted upon the Nephilim (offspring between fallen angels and human women) and that He cursed them to be terrestrial (they can’t leave earth) and rise up against men and women because they came forth during days of slaughter and destruction. As a deliverance minister, this understanding has been of priceless worth to me. Pray about it.
Yeah I agree. No where in scriptures do demons impersonate being ghosts, so why would we think they do so now? In fact, the bible makes it clear that ghosts are another category of spirit, different from demons. The fact is, some people can see both kinds of entities, whether or not they want to, and whether or not they are afflicted with demons. It’s just an ability or gift some people have. I’ll eventually update this page with further biblical evidence that the Bible supports ghosts as different from demons, after I finish the spiritual house cleansing book, where I’ve uncovered a lot more research in these areas.
I discuss the origins of demons in my “what are demons” page, and agree they are the disembodied spirits of the giants. I would disagree – and I think Gonz would also disagree – there there’s no record of demons in the Old Testament after Gen 6. The “bulls of Bashan” are mentioned, and they are probably demons. So is the “screech owl”/”lilith” spirit (depending on your translation). There are others, but you have to dig into the ancient near east perspective to really pick up on it. And more texts widely read around the time of Jesus than just Enoch link demonic spirits to the nephilim, but Enoch make the clearest case for it, in a section that’s widely quoted in the NT. I’ve seen a biblical case made for that conclusion, but I can’t recall it off the top of my head.
Lol This all is so against my theoloy, yet clarifying in some way.. Thanks..
And Bro Doug I have found some ppl that might be willing to train me in my seer anointing since last i’ve spoken with you.. These ppl are from a different culture backgroung which should be interesting.. Thx and i will continue to follow
Since I advocate that Christianity has its origin in Judaism and that Christians should therefore be eager to learn from what Jews believe about things such as the existence of spirits and so on, I’ve read a very interesting article about what Jews believe about ghosts and whether or not they exist. To me, that article made a lot of things clear, such as the reason why Jesus did not rebuke His disciples about their belief in the existence of ghosts when He walked on water … I mean, just look at how quick He was to point out to the Sadducees that they are in error in believing that there is no resurrection after they’ve asked Him whose wife a widow would be if she married all seven brothers and all seven died. In the account of Him walking on the water, however, He did not say to His disciples, “You are in error for believing that ghosts exist.” Instead, He assured them that it was He, Jesus, who is walking on the water. Why? The only answer to this must be because He knew that ghosts do exist, but that they are not to be conversed or consulted with. I invite you to read the article I’ve read today by visiting http://www.angelsghosts.com/ghosts_judaism
Yes, I am Messianic and Jewish culture does speak about dybbuks, and ghosts. Also I am aware that in areas where there has been mass murder, death, trauma of some type – ghosts or spirits may linger .Many people mention the sense of ghosts at Auschwitz . And there is a wellknown series of photos called the “Ghosts of Auschwitz.” I have seen ghosts of my pets after they have died – for a few days until they move on. I have experienced a woman I knew who had just died in a car accident , recreate in my car hours later her attempts to turn the steering wheel of her car. I have sensed palpable fear at Ground Zero from those who died there. There was much ghost activity at the mental health clinic I once worked at , that was built on top of an Indian gravesite and a prison area where prisoners died in a fire. That was the only time in my life I saw a ghost in color and fully 3-d. The ghosts I fear are the black spirit ones. And yes I have seen demons. All of this is to say there is more to the supernatural realm than we know. I do not talk to demons or ghosts. I have to trust in the Lord about all of this. And I pray always for His covering when I experience anything.
This is an enlightening article which appropriates certain Biblical views that are indeed correct. However, I don’t think that Jesus rebuking the disciples for being afraid when He was walking towards them on the water substantiates adequately that ‘ghosts’ exist. In Biblical times sailors were accustomed to seeing apparitions associated with plying their trades via water. I think what the sailors saw was another type of demonic spirit, possibly one associated with the water (water spirit, siren, etc). The African voodoo culture is well aware of this type of witchcraft to rouse these spirits and they do live in the water and are intense, demonic, fallen angels in the water realm. Consequently, Yeshua had a right to rebuke them because He gave them power over these spirits.
In all my years of seeing, I’ve never seen a ghost. However, remember when Peter was put into prison and through singing spiritual songs and worship an angel appeared and let him out? When the young female disciple heard a knock at the door and she looked out and saw Peter standing outside and they were all asking if it was Peter and it was said “perhaps it is his angel.” From this we can surmise that our spirit person looks like our physical person. This is the kind of experience I’ve had several times, seeing a living person before they actually arrive at the door. Like on Sunday, I heard my father at the door outside and heard the car park up so I expected him. When he did arrive it was minutes later and I saw him arrive before he did and at the door before he came out of the car. By the time he came inside I was in another room.
In fact he tried to sneak in quietly and when I asked “whose in the house? fully knowing it was him, he didn’t answer until I saw him smiling at me and waiting to use the washroom. I’ve also seen and heard the “living spirits” of my younger sister and mother and knew they were about to come home – and that is what usually happens. It seems there is no space/time continuum with living spirits. They could be where ever and you could still hear and see them speak, but they don’t know it. In Scandinavian cultures its called a vardoga (vardyger according to google).
Some Hebraic cultures believe that the spirit of a man can exist in the dead body for 3 days before the spirit person is released, after which the silver chord is totally dissolved (the cord connects the spirit man to his body) and the golden bowl broken (the golden bowl is the mind and consciousness, will emotions personality) (Ecclesiasties). This might explain how some people see folks weeping at their body – or see and hear them saying goodbye or expressing love just as they die. However, I believe what the Lord said “the living know that they will die, and the dead know nothing.”
I also believe what David said in the Word “that those who go down to death cannot praise the Lord” and that “the dead have no more impact in the affairs under the sun.” If this is happening its almost always demonic activity or the abnormal spiritual activity of rephaim and nephilim (demonic offspring of humans and angels). That is why when the Bible declares in Romans 5:17 “if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new,” he is also talking about demonic spiritual activity in our bloodlines from this mixing. Yeshua redeemed us with His blood from every undead spiritual ancestor seeking to work through cords to our bloodlines, council and curse.
Also, some ‘ghostly activity’ occurs with the psychic prayers of believers who think they know more of the will of God for your life than you and the Holy Spirit do. They get together and say prayers on your behalf to do/or not to do certain things. All of a sudden you hear voices commanding you to go back to a certain church for you are “backslidden” or you are mystified as to why certain things are not working out in your life, or you leave a job for no reason or you are thinking of marrying a person you don’t even like. This is more or less occult as well and one has to pray and renounce ALL the words these believers have used. I know because God showed me that this does occur. Psychic prayers send a copy of the spiritual realm of the person(s) praying into your spirit man to try to control your mind, will and emotions. But it is not sanctioned by God or the Holy Spirit, it is simply spiritual activity according to spiritual laws. If anything prayed is verified by Holy Spirit as His Will you will know it, otherwise its psychic prayers and OCCULT.
When God opens your spiritual man’s ears you could hear them praying and repeating what they want in your live over and over. Casting them out doesn’t work, you have to pray that these beings “get back into themselves” and that God would send His angels to remove human spirits that are trying to attack you through psychic prayer. You have to cut ties with their agreements in heavens with Gods help (remember the Bible said when 2 or more are gathered agreeing on anything it is done).
For example, I KNOW for a fact certain believers prayed for a certain pastor to get sick and die because they didn’t like the necessary changes he brought to the church to free the assembly from being a cult. Sadly, the pastor did get cancer and passed on. I was always troubled by this as a girl and had a feeling that what the people in the church did had something to do with the pastor’s untimely demise. Now that I know a smidgen more of the spirit and spiritual activity I realized I was right.
So do I know there are human spirits, residues, angels, demons and spirits of nephilim…..yes. Ghosts, no. I sincerely believe its truly demonic activity used to entice the uninitiated and the hardhearted or those experiencing intense grief (Satan is a deceiver, he’ll make you believe you’re seeing your dead loved one and you’re not.) In all things seek the Lord God Almighty, Yeshua who created you and you will understand how spiritual principles work. Please do this at all times.
One other thing I was thinking on this issue fellow seers is that the Bible said to be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” In that case, the Bible places perimeters as to how someone may see a true regenerated spirit. In this case the Holy Spirit may allow us to see a glimpse of His glory, of a loved one alive in Christ and in His glory. They may smile at us, appear young, wear the whitest robe that can be found nowhere on earth. They may appear with angels or alone. God in this case quantum leaps to the future that is already set in motion. He knows the end from the beginning so he shows you the glory, though now that person is dead in Christ.
Also the opposite can happen, remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man?, the rich man went to hell while Lazarus, a beggar on earth, went o Abraham’s bosom? However, also in this case both are already dead to the earth and although the rich man begged God to send Lazarus to “talk to his relatives” so that they may not come to that dreadful place, God said no. He said.
1. A firmament is fixed between heaven and hell and Lazarus could not go with water to wet the rich mans tongue as the rich man lay tormented in hell.
2. He told the rich man to let his living relatives listen to the “prophets and teachers” at the time, for even if He refused to send Lazarus back to speak to anybody!
So, God is good and with him there is no space time continuum when He is ready to teach scientifically and expound on truth we merely read and wonder about in His Word. A fantastic teacher is Yeshua.
I hope this all helps! Be blessed in Yeshua Hamashiach’s name everyone!
2.
Odette, in my forthcoming book on spiritual house cleansing, I expand on the ideas in this page, and include a section that addresses the idea of “being absent from body is to be present with the Lord.” To use this passage to make a statement about what happens to humans at death, especially as an argument against the presence of disembodied humans on earth, is to apply an idea to the text that isn’t really there. I quickly converted that section to a PDF and loaded it here: http://seerssee.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Absent-from-Body-Present-with-the-Lord.pdf
In addition, Jesus’ parable regarding Lazarus was drawing on cosmic geography understandable to the Jews in his time (largely drawing on 1 Enoch) to make a point about his testimony on earth being rejected by the Pharisees. He wasn’t teaching about life after death.
Thank you for your reply Doug!
To clarify that post somewhat, I know Jesus was not speaking directly about life after death in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, I never said He was. However, it does suggest that the dead are not able to come back to the earth to do anything after they die, they do go to a specific place. As the Bible says”the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part IN ANYTHING that happens under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 9: 5-6) David also says “those who go down to the grave cannot praise You.” The Bible also says clearly that even King David sleeps, and that both good and evil people and animals sleep and go back to the dust (again see Ecclessiasties).
Also, the scripture that says “for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” shows the inheritance of the Believer in Christ. The regenerated person who has received Christ Jesus has an eternal inheritance when He comes. I just don’t think that human spirits roaming the earth can be substantiated by scripture. If the Biblical verses I used don’t give a glimpse of what happens to disembodied human spirits and its Biblical, where is the concrete evidence in any other text?
The point is, Satan is evil and a deceiver. He wants us to believe there are disembodied humans roaming around after death. God is a loving Father. He isn’t going to let our spirits roam in limbo after we die. He is able to finish what He started, He doesn’t need disembodied humans to go around trying to finish something on an earthly plain. Most times its almost always a demonic counterfeit in its different levels of interaction (Ephesians 6:12).
Humbly I use minister Andrew Wommack’s book “The Believer’s Authority” as an example. In the excerpt entitled “Grandma’s Room” on page’s 70-72 Wommack speaks about seeing his beloved dead grandmother who cared for him as a child coming out of a picture frame and walking in the room. Caught off guard, he and his other siblings could not stay in the room, they locked it up eventually. He realized it was a demonic presence of imps and cast them out when God opened his eyes to see exactly what was happening!
To suggest that disembodied human spirits roam the earth is to plant seeds of doubt as to what the Bible says concerning what happens after death and accept burgeoning occult beliefs, unclean spirits and necromancy. What Satan wants to do is get our eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ, instead of asking Him something, we hear whispers from our “dead aunt” or parent (familiar spirits). If people believe ghosts roam the earth, then they will accept the work of mediums as well and then we will be caught in a snare. Jesus has the keys to hell, death and the grave. He took them from Satan and there ain’t no way He’s giving them back. My issue is not to dispute what you say, but we need to examine paranormal occurrence in light of the Word of God and what Yeshua says!
Again, thank you for your beautiful blog and response Doug
God bless
I’ve really enjoyed your comments and generally agree with them.
Thank you Doug, I continue to learn and have many questions. I do appreciate your efforts to shed light on these types of issues.
Seeing them does not mean they are inside us producing hallucinations. It means we are discerning their presence, and need to order them to leave, in the Name of Jesus, and declare that for our house we serve the Lord.
I couldn’t agree more Sharon. I don’t care ghost or demon I have no business dealing with it, nor do I care what they have to say, it’s always a lie. I am not impressed what they have to say or look like. Jesus is Lord and has power over all, always. I remind them I am a child of the all mighty living God and they have no authority over me. Always order them to leave in the name and blood of Jesus Christ. I have noticed that the gates of hell seems to be in full speed now, Does anyone else feel like this.
The Holy Spirit revealed this to me a couple of years ago. Research Revelation chapter 9 and also research C.E.R.N and the (LHC) large hadron collider that is in Switzerland. It’s the largest machine in the world. It’s also known as “the destroyer”, Rev. 9:11
For some discussion on the spiritual implications of CERN, check out our Peeranormal episodes on quantum physics and metaphysics.
Part 1 -https://peeranormal.com/podcast/peeranormal-15-quantum-physics-and-metaphysics-part-1/
Part 2 -https://peeranormal.com/podcast/peeranormal-16-quantum-physics-and-metaphysics-part-2/
Part 3 -https://peeranormal.com/podcast/peeranormal-17-quantum-physics-and-metaphysics-part-3/
Thank you for your in depth research and study my friend. Its been nearly impossible to find any resource that’s as in depth, with Biblical citation. It has helped me greatly. I really love the mention in the comments that some seers see whether they want to or not and whether they are afflicted or not. Giving all to the Lord to work out each case, best guidance ever.
In response to Odette, I agree~ Most times its almost always a demonic counterfeit in its different levels of interaction (Ephesians 6:12Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)).
The enemy sure is crafty. A surefire battlefield tactic, wearing your opponents uniform and stripes to make faster allies.
Only through utter reliance on the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus, Yeshua, our Lord and Savior are we able to discern, more favorably, Him through me.
In the unseen and the natural world, Father be with us all and help us each moment. Certainly the enemy is present (more noticable perhaps, as one commented) waiting slyly in the brush to trip and snare the finest warriors.
Perhaps the moans of the Body in these times are
Not any different than other battle cries. Perhaps a trumpet has made its sound. I came to sharpen my sword. A new sword with many sides, not understanding at first how in the world this multifaceted, transparent sword could be sharpened best.
I appreciate this blog. Actually reading the comments best. Seeing cross references. Knowledge of the vast battlefield.
When the Lord presents you with special ops missions, He always shows up with a training manual.
P.S
The word “ghost” in the text you used comes from the word =5326 phantasma, which they were referring to a water apparition that comes out of the sea. Not a human spirit
In the context of the New Testament writers, “phantasm” (φάντασμα) doesn’t have to mean “ghost.” In the time of the biblical writers, it was used to mean “signs”, “vision”, “dream”, “angel” or “heavenly being.” (Not one of the “earth spirits”). However, in the context of the New Testament passage in question, (Jesus walking on water), it means ghost. All scholars agree.
What does “ghosts” mean in the New Testament world? Philo, in his commentary “On the Giants”, conflates “ghosts” with “demons” and “divine beings”, but this was a minority view in his culture. The most common thought in the Greek world held that ghosts were a separate category from demons and from divine beings. Ghost were distinguished from giants and gods by their origin: ghosts were the spirits of dead humans (earthly born), demons the spirits of dead giants (earthly born), and deities were spirits from the heavenly realm. Ghosts and deities appeared to people; ghosts inspiring fear, deities usually looking bigger than humans and accompanied by acts of power, like an earthquake.
The function of φάντασμα help determine what it is. The phantasm appears to warn the living of some impending danger. They also pester the living if they weren’t buried correctly. Phantasms, in the literary genre of “ghosts stories” during the era the New Testament was written in, also do not and cannot walk on water. Deities can and do, in the literature the New Testament writers and readers were familiar with.
Consider the characteristics of the passages where Jesus walks on the water. It’s right after an exorcism. Their leader has left to climb a mountain. It’s a dark and stormy night. They see the specter, and have fear. They probably thought Jesus died while climbing the mountain and was appearing to them as a ghost.
But the absurdity of their belief is that, ghosts can’t walk on water. Nothing in their experience should suggest this. They saw the “specter” of Jesus, thought he was a ghost. But that’s ridiculous. The NT readers would recognize this absurdity, and realize the disciples were clueless. Ghosts don’t walk on water. God does. Thus, the readers will know something that the disciples in the story do not, that Jesus is God.
For more on these concepts, check out “A Ghost on the Water? Understanding an Absurdity in Mark 6:49–50”, Jason Robert Combs, JBL 127 no. 2 (2008):345-358. I can also send you this paper, and other resources defending the explanation that they did not conceive of this as a water spirit, but as a ghost. For more on why “nature spirits” are not in the Bible, check out my articles on “nature spirits.”
the chaos of cults by j.k. van baalen. Under Theosophy chapter. he explains it very carefully. ghosts are the dead souls who were in sorcery. they can return through an astral plane portal to help or hinder the living. His source was the theosophical society’s the secret doctrine. (3 vols.) In webster’s 1828 dictionary, ghosts is also defined as deceased souls.
Yes those spirits are negative they scare people and throw furnitures and other objects