THE TRUTH ABOUT GHOSTS

“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 pass. 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 is "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 it's 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 the personalities of a dead person but are 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 for ever 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.