Ghosts & the Bible
I wrote this page for two reasons. One, for Christians & others who have been misinformed that ghost are not real, or that they are evil trickery commonly known as familiar spirits, as well as demons (don't get me wrong, demons are very real, but they are a separate entity from ghosts). Secondly, I have wrote this page to help those that have been hurt, ridiculed, & bashed by those that want to push their beliefs onto others. I know all to well what it's like being misunderstood & falsely judged. If you have been hurt by religion you might be interested in http://www.religiousrecovery.org/ . You will not find judgement from anyone in our S.O.S. team. We are not here to bash anyone's religious beliefs whatever they may be as we firmly believe that all should have freedom to believe what they feel is right as long as that belief is not causing harm to another. While we did grow up religious, we ourselves no longer claim any set religion, but rather a more spiritual mindset.
While many different cultures, countries, & religions across the world do believe in ghosts & other spirits, many Christians either say that ghost simply don't exist, or they claim that they are "familiar spirits" a term commonly used for an evil spirit. They claim that these spirits are trying to trick people into believing that there are ghost. For what purpose would an evil spirit have in doing this?...
To make us believe in the after life, or perhaps calm our sorrow or fear about our lost loved one? This theory holds no water as many atheist have become God believing Christians after having a ghostly encounter. Also evil would not want to bring us comfort or closer to God.
Maybe then it's to draw people into evil doings or worship? Again, this theory makes no sense. Did Jesus not go out and cast out demons? Did he not say that his followers should go out & cast out demons in his name & to do as he did? Did His disciples not mention their belief in ghosts, & Jesus did't tell them that there is no such thing. He told them that they were not flesh.
I have seen many spirits in my life, some earth bond human spirits, others have been demons. I believe it has helped me to be even more spiritual. So why do so many (but not all) Christians & others claim that they don't exist or are evil? My own theory is that most people are afraid of the unknown, they are afraid of what they don't understand. Most people can't understand how or why some people can see spirits but they can not. Does this mean people claiming to see them are crazy or involved in evil? No, some people are simply more sensitive to the spirit realm than others. Many Christian circles & others try to protect by denouncing the existence or trying to warn because of their own fears of the unknown. This has gone on for centuries & so now most have simply been misinformed. Being an ostrich & trying to hide your head in the sand doesn't make them go away though.
So if these spirits exist (both good & bad), should everyone go around rebuking demons? By all means, No. It is in no way fun & games, but a very serious situation anytime there is a suspected evil presence. It holds very real dangers that not everyone has the knowledge, or training required to deal with them.
So if it's so dangerous, should we all steer clear? No we should not. If everyone avoids them, then who is left to help that nice family down the street that thought they just bought their dream home, only to find out that something evil resides there. Perhaps tormenting their children, or even hurting them? Who would calm the fears of those that are living with an earth bond spirit that might be unintentially scaring them or their small child from their home? There are also earth bond spirits that have not been able to move on for various reasons. These spirits need help in crossing over as well. Who will help if we all hide & avoid it?
I believe seeing spirits is a gift, not a curse (the curse is the way many people treat you). If you have the ability it can be used to help many. So if you are one of those gifted people that have been put down for seeing what causes those bumps in the night, know that you too can hold your head up & not be ashamed. Also, if you are one who has been put down by others for believing in these things, I am wanting to start a support group. Just contact me using the contact form.
To make us believe in the after life, or perhaps calm our sorrow or fear about our lost loved one? This theory holds no water as many atheist have become God believing Christians after having a ghostly encounter. Also evil would not want to bring us comfort or closer to God.
Maybe then it's to draw people into evil doings or worship? Again, this theory makes no sense. Did Jesus not go out and cast out demons? Did he not say that his followers should go out & cast out demons in his name & to do as he did? Did His disciples not mention their belief in ghosts, & Jesus did't tell them that there is no such thing. He told them that they were not flesh.
I have seen many spirits in my life, some earth bond human spirits, others have been demons. I believe it has helped me to be even more spiritual. So why do so many (but not all) Christians & others claim that they don't exist or are evil? My own theory is that most people are afraid of the unknown, they are afraid of what they don't understand. Most people can't understand how or why some people can see spirits but they can not. Does this mean people claiming to see them are crazy or involved in evil? No, some people are simply more sensitive to the spirit realm than others. Many Christian circles & others try to protect by denouncing the existence or trying to warn because of their own fears of the unknown. This has gone on for centuries & so now most have simply been misinformed. Being an ostrich & trying to hide your head in the sand doesn't make them go away though.
So if these spirits exist (both good & bad), should everyone go around rebuking demons? By all means, No. It is in no way fun & games, but a very serious situation anytime there is a suspected evil presence. It holds very real dangers that not everyone has the knowledge, or training required to deal with them.
So if it's so dangerous, should we all steer clear? No we should not. If everyone avoids them, then who is left to help that nice family down the street that thought they just bought their dream home, only to find out that something evil resides there. Perhaps tormenting their children, or even hurting them? Who would calm the fears of those that are living with an earth bond spirit that might be unintentially scaring them or their small child from their home? There are also earth bond spirits that have not been able to move on for various reasons. These spirits need help in crossing over as well. Who will help if we all hide & avoid it?
I believe seeing spirits is a gift, not a curse (the curse is the way many people treat you). If you have the ability it can be used to help many. So if you are one of those gifted people that have been put down for seeing what causes those bumps in the night, know that you too can hold your head up & not be ashamed. Also, if you are one who has been put down by others for believing in these things, I am wanting to start a support group. Just contact me using the contact form.
Warning, Whatever you are dealing with the best way to know if you are being deceived is by the fruit it bears. Atheist have become God fearing/loving Christians after experiencing encounters with ghost. Many more people have developed a closer relationship with God after having an experience, tragedies avoided, & also grieving has been relieved for so many after encountering a past loved one who has come with a message. Demons however are very real as well & have been known to trick people. Always be very careful in dealing with anything supernatural/paranormal. Ghost hunting is in no way just fun & games as shown on many TV shows these days. The dangers are very real & should not be taken lightly.
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (2) Hereby know ye the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God: (3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (4)
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he
that is in you, than he that is in the world. (5) They are of the world: therefore speak
they of the world, and the world heareth them. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error."
We can't test spirits if they don't exist, so this scripture must be validating that spirits DO exist.
I Samuel 28:3,7,8,11
Now Samuel was dead,and all Isreal had lamented him,and buried him....And had put away all familiar spirits, and the wizards,out of the land. Then said Saul unto his servants,Seek me a woman that is a medium (between the living & the dead),that I may go and inquire of her. And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment,and he went,and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said,I pray thee,divine unto me the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. Then said the woman,Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquited me, to bring me up?......
The Bible clearly states that the spirit of Samuel was brought forth. No where does it mention or hint that it was an evil spirit trying to trick Saul or anyone else.
Isaiah 13:21
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful (meaning; screeching or howling) creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and Satyrs (meaning; half goat & half man/ a demon) shall dance there.
Matthew 12:43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
This describes what the demon had done after being cast out. The demon searched for rest on dry land and couldn't find any. Many believe water is where the demons seek rest. If not, then they attempt to return to that man with even more demons trying to seek rest within him or someone else. A lot of people believe that in most hauntings where there's demons involved, you'll find that they all have one thing in common. They entered where there was water, or a lot of the activity is located at or near a water source. Other things such as ouija boards can open doors that allow them in as well. For this reason we highly recommend that you avoid them (many of our cases can be traced back to ouija use).
Matthew 14:26
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
Clearly His disciples believed in ghosts.
Matthew 27:45-54
"Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of those who stood there, when they heard that said, "This man is calling for Elijah." Immediately, one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink. The rest said, "Let him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they feared greatly saying, "Truly this was the son of God!"
Mark 6:49-50
But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit,and cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled....
Mark 7:25-30
For a certain woman,whose young daughter had an unclean spirit,heard of him,and came and fell at his feet: ...and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not ment to take the childrens's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her,For this saying go thy way: the devil (demon) is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
Mark 16:12
After that he appeared in another form to two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
Luke
24:36-39
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.....
See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
In the above scriptures, the disciples are scared when they see Christ
walking on water because they thought he must be a ghost. But, there had to have
been reported ghost sightings even at that time, or they wouldn't have thought
he was one. Christ himself describes a ghost, "a ghost does not have flesh and bones". So wouldn't this indicate that ghosts do exist? Jesus could have easily said that there's no such things as ghosts, but instead He describes a ghost. Jesus didn't rebuke them for their belief in ghost, he just calmly let them know it was him. If the belief in disembodied spirits or ghosts is such a bad thing as so many people would have you believe, than why was Jesus not upset about there fear of such things? Also, lets not forget that Jesus told & taught the disciples to go out & rebuke/remove evil spirits as He had done.
1 Peter 3:19
In which He went and preached to the spirits in prison (not meaning literally a physical realm prison in this sense). (The souls of those) who long before in the days of Noah had been disobedient, when God's patience waited during the building of the ark in which a few (people), actually eight in number,were saved through water.
In the above scripture, they're referring to Jesus preaching to the spirits who had already passed & in a spiritual prison of sort.
II Corinthians 5:1,6-8
“For we know that if our earthly house this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” “We are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
Many who argue that ghosts are unbiblical point to verses 6-8. When we're dead, we're with God in heaven. So according to this, there would be no such thing as a real haunting because the spirit is in heaven at the point of death. However, that would be taking the scripture out of context.
The Apostle Paul is writing this in a Roman jail & is about to die. Christianity is illegal at this time and those who follow it face torture or death. Paul talks to the church at Corinth to ease their hearts. Our lives pass, but the afterlife is forever. Our mortal/physical body will die, but we'll be given a new one that is endless. The Apostle Paul wishes only to be in his new spirit/immortal body so he can physically be with the Lord. According to popular Christian belief, this new body is not given to us at death, but rather at the resurrection of the just, also known as the ‘rapture’. The rapture is the common Christian belief that Jesus will descend from heaven at the end of days and resurrect all His followers just as He was resurrected after His death. The mortal body will be replaced with a supernatural immortal body. Two Biblical passages that give details about this are I Corinthians 15: 50-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. These scriptures tell about what happens to a person after death.
I Corinthians 15:51
“Behold, I will tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep but we shall be changed.”
I Thessalonians 4:13
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not,even as others which have no hope.
John 11:11-14
.....Our friend Lazarus sleepeth;but I go,that I may awake him out of his sleep. Then said his disciples,lord,if he sleep,he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death:but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then Jesus said unto them plainly,Lazarus is dead.
So here it's supporting that when we die we're with God in heaven. He states that those who die ‘sleep’. This refers to the body, not the spirit or soul. The body sleeps at death until it is changed into a new supernatural one at the end of days. So can the spirit still roam the Earth after death? The Bible does talk about ghosts, and the spirit of the dead returning to the earth.
According to the Bible, the concept of a Ghost or disembodies spirit of a deceased person is not only real, it's scriptural. Christian Scripture itself attests to the validity of ghosts, and supports that they're disembodied spirits of the dead. These days many Bible readers and teachers have read into the text with their own preconceived notions instead of reading from the texts and basing their ideas from the Scripture itself. This practice is the same as cults do to make their religious claims seem legit.
I have based my researched from many different sources, mainly the Christian Bible with an intent to help spread the truth.
Now Samuel was dead,and all Isreal had lamented him,and buried him....And had put away all familiar spirits, and the wizards,out of the land. Then said Saul unto his servants,Seek me a woman that is a medium (between the living & the dead),that I may go and inquire of her. And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment,and he went,and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said,I pray thee,divine unto me the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. Then said the woman,Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquited me, to bring me up?......
The Bible clearly states that the spirit of Samuel was brought forth. No where does it mention or hint that it was an evil spirit trying to trick Saul or anyone else.
Isaiah 13:21
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful (meaning; screeching or howling) creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and Satyrs (meaning; half goat & half man/ a demon) shall dance there.
Matthew 12:43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
This describes what the demon had done after being cast out. The demon searched for rest on dry land and couldn't find any. Many believe water is where the demons seek rest. If not, then they attempt to return to that man with even more demons trying to seek rest within him or someone else. A lot of people believe that in most hauntings where there's demons involved, you'll find that they all have one thing in common. They entered where there was water, or a lot of the activity is located at or near a water source. Other things such as ouija boards can open doors that allow them in as well. For this reason we highly recommend that you avoid them (many of our cases can be traced back to ouija use).
Matthew 14:26
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
Clearly His disciples believed in ghosts.
Matthew 27:45-54
"Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of those who stood there, when they heard that said, "This man is calling for Elijah." Immediately, one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink. The rest said, "Let him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they feared greatly saying, "Truly this was the son of God!"
Mark 6:49-50
But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit,and cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled....
Mark 7:25-30
For a certain woman,whose young daughter had an unclean spirit,heard of him,and came and fell at his feet: ...and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not ment to take the childrens's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her,For this saying go thy way: the devil (demon) is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
Mark 16:12
After that he appeared in another form to two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
Luke
24:36-39
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.....
See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
In the above scriptures, the disciples are scared when they see Christ
walking on water because they thought he must be a ghost. But, there had to have
been reported ghost sightings even at that time, or they wouldn't have thought
he was one. Christ himself describes a ghost, "a ghost does not have flesh and bones". So wouldn't this indicate that ghosts do exist? Jesus could have easily said that there's no such things as ghosts, but instead He describes a ghost. Jesus didn't rebuke them for their belief in ghost, he just calmly let them know it was him. If the belief in disembodied spirits or ghosts is such a bad thing as so many people would have you believe, than why was Jesus not upset about there fear of such things? Also, lets not forget that Jesus told & taught the disciples to go out & rebuke/remove evil spirits as He had done.
1 Peter 3:19
In which He went and preached to the spirits in prison (not meaning literally a physical realm prison in this sense). (The souls of those) who long before in the days of Noah had been disobedient, when God's patience waited during the building of the ark in which a few (people), actually eight in number,were saved through water.
In the above scripture, they're referring to Jesus preaching to the spirits who had already passed & in a spiritual prison of sort.
II Corinthians 5:1,6-8
“For we know that if our earthly house this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” “We are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
Many who argue that ghosts are unbiblical point to verses 6-8. When we're dead, we're with God in heaven. So according to this, there would be no such thing as a real haunting because the spirit is in heaven at the point of death. However, that would be taking the scripture out of context.
The Apostle Paul is writing this in a Roman jail & is about to die. Christianity is illegal at this time and those who follow it face torture or death. Paul talks to the church at Corinth to ease their hearts. Our lives pass, but the afterlife is forever. Our mortal/physical body will die, but we'll be given a new one that is endless. The Apostle Paul wishes only to be in his new spirit/immortal body so he can physically be with the Lord. According to popular Christian belief, this new body is not given to us at death, but rather at the resurrection of the just, also known as the ‘rapture’. The rapture is the common Christian belief that Jesus will descend from heaven at the end of days and resurrect all His followers just as He was resurrected after His death. The mortal body will be replaced with a supernatural immortal body. Two Biblical passages that give details about this are I Corinthians 15: 50-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. These scriptures tell about what happens to a person after death.
I Corinthians 15:51
“Behold, I will tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep but we shall be changed.”
I Thessalonians 4:13
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not,even as others which have no hope.
John 11:11-14
.....Our friend Lazarus sleepeth;but I go,that I may awake him out of his sleep. Then said his disciples,lord,if he sleep,he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death:but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then Jesus said unto them plainly,Lazarus is dead.
So here it's supporting that when we die we're with God in heaven. He states that those who die ‘sleep’. This refers to the body, not the spirit or soul. The body sleeps at death until it is changed into a new supernatural one at the end of days. So can the spirit still roam the Earth after death? The Bible does talk about ghosts, and the spirit of the dead returning to the earth.
According to the Bible, the concept of a Ghost or disembodies spirit of a deceased person is not only real, it's scriptural. Christian Scripture itself attests to the validity of ghosts, and supports that they're disembodied spirits of the dead. These days many Bible readers and teachers have read into the text with their own preconceived notions instead of reading from the texts and basing their ideas from the Scripture itself. This practice is the same as cults do to make their religious claims seem legit.
I have based my researched from many different sources, mainly the Christian Bible with an intent to help spread the truth.
For further study, I highly recommend this interesting link titled "Is It A Sin To Hunt Ghost". It is written by a Rabbi. https://sites.google.com/site/paranormalirgsite/home/paranormal-articles-and-essays/is-it-a-sin-to-hunt-ghosts