Ghost stories have been around for thousands of years. Even Jesus’ disciples
displayed a belief in ghosts when they saw Him walking on water (Mark 6:49). In
recent times, ghosts have stepped into our media through Charles
Dickens’s 1843 classic, A
Christmas Carol and subsequent movies which supports ghosts. Since
then, an abundance of movies propagating the belief in ghosts have appeared “Field
of Dreams,” “Ghost,”
“Casper,”
“Lost,” etc.
And TV shows such as “Ghost
Hunters,” which attempt to investigate claims of ghosts using infrared
cameras and other devices.
Through this popularization of ghosts, studies point
to nearly one in five Americans believe in ghosts, and also claim to have seen
one (http://www.relevant magazine.com/god/world
view/what-does-bible-say-about-ghosts#1mShvXoK Q1EkPUHL.99). But does the
belief in something prove that it exists? What does Scripture say about
the existence of poltergeists?
Before we can address this question, we need to have an
understanding of what a ghost actually is. Webster defines it as “the soul of a
dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living
people.” With this definition in mind, the Bible clearly addresses whether or
not ghosts exist.
In Luke 16, Jesus tells an account of two people who have
died, one man named Lazarus and the second called a rich man. Lazarus was said
to be in Paradise, while the rich man was in Hades (a place of torment). Yet
neither one were able to change their locations as bad as the rich man would
have liked.
Hebrews 9:27 plainly states “It is appointed for men to die
once and after this comes judgment”-(NASB). There is no in between,
and there are no second chances once this life is over.
“For the wicked (all non-followers of Jesus
Christ are reserved for the day of calamity; They will be
led forth at the day of fury” (Job 21:30 NASB). Therefore,
Scripture tells us that “today is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
“No evidence has produced a single fact that should sway a
Christian into believing that the spirits of deceased people can loiter on
earth” (https://answersin
genesis.org/angels-and-demons/do-you-believe-in-ghosts/?utm_source=articlesmedia&utm_medium=email&utm_content=featurebutton&utm_campaign=20141031).
Then how does one explain the experiences many claim to have had?
Scripture points to only two possibilities of their
identity. First, it is possible for a person to be confused by a figment of
their imaginations. Or second, it could be a sighting of something demonic. In
his book The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena,
Christian author Ron Rhodes states, “People sometimes genuinely encounter a
spirit entity—though not a dead human. Some people encounter demonic spirits
who may mimic dead people in order to deceive the living (see 1 John 4:1;
1 Tim. 4:1–3). Many who claim to have encountered such spirit entities have
some prior involvement in the occult” (p. 71).
Why would demons want to deceive the living by
impersonating the dead? They are enemies of God, and would like to cast doubt
on God’s Word and its warnings about the future judgment.
Therefore, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets
have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
In His service,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment