What The Bible Says About Ghosts, Part 1

“I see dead people” is not a phrase you ever thought you’d hear from a pulpit. It is a popular line from a psychological/horror movie called The Sixth Sense. In this 1999 movie a young boy, named Cole, is a clairvoyant who is able to communicate with people who have died. What’s really scary is that while Cole is a fictional character in a fictional story, there are many people who claim not only to have seen real ghosts, apparitions, and spirits; but claim they can communicate and interact with them as well.

It’s becoming increasingly popular and acceptable to have some form of spirituality or interaction with the spirit realm. This is nothing new. Most of us have been exposed to this since childhood as we watched the Casper the Ghost cartoons. Then we laughed at the very funny GhostBuster movies in the 1980’s
.
From the books to the big screen—the media is barraging us with tales of the supernatural. Even the television media is bombarding with shows like Lost, Medium, The Ghost Whisperer, Supernatural, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Hauntings Live, and several others.

We as Christians understand that God is a Spirit, and His Spirit resides in His children; that mankind are made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit. But when it comes to the spiritual realm, because it is not readily seen with our physical eyes, there is a lot that we don’t know or understand about it. And unfortunately, because the supernatural is not discussed very often in churches today, the only source of information for many people is what they see or hear on television, in the movies, on the Internet, or in books.

Since there are all kinds of different beliefs and ideas about what ghosts are and where they come from and what their purpose is, I thought that it would be appropriate to see what the Bible has to say about ghosts. After all, the Bible is the only true and accurate source we have about this world and the spiritual world and how they interact.

1. What Are Ghosts?
So, let’s just jump right in and tackle the question, “What are ghosts?” A dictionary definition of the word ghost says that it is “the spirit of a dead person, especially one believed to haunt living persons.” This is usually the idea we get in our minds when someone says the word, "ghost". We think of haunted houses and restless spirits, scary movies, graveyards, floating apparitions and seances. But are those really ghosts? And if they aren’t, then what are they?

After studying this topic and searching Scripture, I’ve come to the conclusion that the dictionary definition is only half correct. The Bible seems to support the idea that a ghost is the spirit of a person who has died. Depending on which Bible translation you read, you may or may not come across the word “ghost”, usually the word “spirit” is used. So, I believe that the Bible supports the idea that a ghost is the spirit of a person who has died.

But it doesn’t support the second half of the definition, which says, “especially one believed to haunt living persons.” Let me explain. For a spirit of a dead person to haunt the living, that means that they must somehow make an appearance in the physical world, or “the land of the living” if you will. And the Bible makes it quite clear that once a person dies, they either cannot or are not allowed to return and interact with the living.

Isaiah 26:14 says, “The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise…” The NIV reads, “They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise….” The same passage in The Message reads, “The dead don’t talk, ghosts don’t walk….” That seems pretty clear to me. But there is also another more in depth passage that supports this teaching.


Turn with me to Luke 16:19-31.
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
20 “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23 “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
26 ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
27 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—
28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30 “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
This passage is filled with information about the afterlife. But this morning we’re going to concentrate specifically on what it shows us about the spirits of the dead and their interaction or lack of interaction with the living.


A. The Wicked Dead Can’t Return
The first thing we need to recognize is that it appears that the wicked dead in hell cannot return to interact with the living, even if they wanted to. Notice that the rich man died and went to hell. He is in torment and asks for relief. And then he asks for Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them of what awaits them in hell. Never once does he ask if he can return to warn them himself. This fact leads me to believe that it’s more than likely that he can’t return.

Why not? Why can’t someone whose ghost is in hell return to the living to warn them of the torment of the afterlife if they reject Christ?

-- We All Have the Same Opportunity to Choose Salvation
Abraham gives us the first reason. He says that those that are alive have Moses and the prophets that warn them of hell. He says the living have the very Word of God, the warnings of the prophets that God has sent among them, and the teachings of the righteous. Everyone has the opportunity to make the decision for Christ and salvation, and if they don’t listen to the warnings that they already have, chances are they won’t listen to a ghost either. Some people refuse to listen to the truth no matter what form it comes in.

--Hell has Gates
The main reason I believe those in hell cannot return to earth and interact with the living is because they are confined there until the Day of Judgment. The Bible talks about hell as having gates. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, “…upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Gates have a purpose of either keeping something or someone inside of them or outside of them. They act as a barrier. In this case I believe the gates of hell confine the spirits of the wicked dead from escaping their punishment. Thus the wicked dead, those who have never accepted Christ as their Savior, cannot return to haunt or speak to the living.


B. The Righteous Dead are Not Allowed to Return
The next thing we should recognize from this passage is that it appears that the righteous dead, who are not confined, can return to speak to the living but are not allowed to. Notice that the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus, who was in Paradise. It makes me think that Lazarus was able to speak to the living, even if the rich man was not.

But as we’ve said before, even if Lazarus or any of the righteous dead can speak to the living after they’ve died, the Bible tells us that they are not allowed to. Abraham did not send Lazarus back. Furthermore, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So, when the believer dies, he is immediately in the presence of His Savior in heaven. Why then would they want to return to earth even if they could?

So, if the spirits of the dead, which are called ghosts, are not allowed or cannot return to haunt or speak to the living, then what are those apparitions that do haunt the living? Who or what are people talking to or interacting with?


2. If the dead can’t interact with the living, who or what do people see and talk to?
Scriptures show us that in the spirit world there are two types of spirits. The righteous and good are usually referred to as angels of light or messengers of God. The evil ones referred to as evil spirits, demons, or fallen angels. Now each category of spirits has a hierarchy and the different levels go by different names. Angles of light can be called archangels, seraphim, cherubim, or just angels. Evil spirits can be called principalities, powers, seducing spirits, demons, fallen angels, etc.

So, let’s use what the Bible does tell us about the spirit world and some of our own logic, and see if we can figure out just who or what the apparitions that people call ghosts really are.

1 John 4:1 warns us, “Beloved, 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.”

Well, let’s take this logic one step at a time. First, we know that what people call ghosts aren’t really the spirits of dead people because they are not allowed to interact with the living. Second, then they must be some other kind of spirit. Third, that means they are either angels from God or angels of the Devil. They are either angels of light or angels of darkness. So how do we figure out which ones they are? How do we test the spirits?


A. Could they be angels from God?
Well, let’s just assume that they could be angels from God. After all, in the Bible several times we see that angels took on the form of man to bring messages to God’s people. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in Luke 1 to tell of the birth of John the Baptist, and he again appeared to Mary to tell her of her upcoming pregnancy and birth of Christ in Luke 2. In Luke 23, we see the women who went to Jesus’ tomb to prepare His body encountering two men dressed in gleaming clothes that were angels.

People who say that they have seen ghosts say that sometimes they look like men or women that were once alive. They look like dead relatives, or famous people, etc. which is why many believe that they are the spirits of those relatives or people. But, as we’ve said, they are not, since those spirits cannot communicate with us. But, since angels have taken on the form of man to speak to the physical world before, could the spirits that people call ghosts actually be angels?

To answer this question let’s continue our logical thinking. What do we know of the encounters that people say they have with ghosts? What do we know about hauntings or séances or the work of psychics?

Have you ever noticed that the sites of hauntings are usually connected in some way to some sort of violence, horror, pain, or evil? (A battlefield, a prison, a place where someone was murdered or died an unnatural death, a place where someone was mentally or emotionally tormented or physically tortured.) Likewise, séances have a darkness associated with them. Even the psychics that supposedly talk to the dead are speaking to those who have had some sort of violence or evil befall them, such as victims of a crime.

When you compare these facts with the appearances of angels in Scripture, you should notice that there is no similarity! Angels of God are messengers that bring news of the will of God to humans. Hauntings are frightening experiences that usually trouble, confuse, or terrify people.

People who have seen apparitions or ghosts say that they look like people who once lived. But although the Bible says that angels have taken on the form of man to speak to humans, it never says that the people they are speaking to recognize them as some dead relative or person who once lived. They don’t recognize them as the spirit of a person. In fact, some of them weren’t even recognized as spirits.

Hebrews 13:2 tells us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Now, if an angel appeared looking like a dead loved one or famous person, we wouldn’t consider them a stranger or be unaware of their spiritual origin, would we?

So, although Scripture does not come right out and tell us directly that ghosts are not angels from God, I think that what we can observe of the instances where people encounter these spirits and what we do know about angels clearly shows us that ghosts, hauntings, and the supposed spirits of dead people that are talking to humans are definitely NOT angels from God.


B. Are they demons from Satan?
Through the process of elimination that leaves only one possibility. They must be evil spirits. Remember, the places that claim to be haunted have some sort of violence or death or torment associated with them. To me that fact alone is clear evidence of the presence of Satan and/or his demons.

This is my explanation for haunted sites and supposed messages from the dead. For some reason, when they were alive, the people who are being portrayed as ghosts were in the presence of evil spirits. Maybe, through the way they lived their lives, they invited the evil spirits there. Maybe there was an accident or an evil perpetrated upon them by someone else that allowed for the presence of Satan’s henchmen--for instance, a war or a murder. Then after the death of the human, when their spirit was ushered either to heaven or hell, those evil spirits remained.

The King James Version of the Bible actually has a specific name for those evil spirits. They are called familiar spirits. The reason being is that they are “familiar” with the lives and habits of the person who died in their presence, thus they can impersonate them to the living.

When people say they see or can talk to people who have died, they are not talking to or seeing the actual ghost of that person. They are in truth talking to an evil spirit that was familiar enough with that person when they were alive to pretend to be them.

Spirits, whether angels of God or Satan, observe and watch humanity all the time. They are curious about us and the working out of our salvation. In 1 Peter 1:12, Peter talks about what Christ did for the human race and how the angels desire to look into these things. The spirit world knows more about us than we’d be comfortable with if we were to know the half of it.

So the next time you see a psychic talking to a dead person, or receiving a message from a dead person, realize that they are not talking to the dead. The Bible says that we can’t do that. They are talking to an evil familiar spirit. The next time you see a program about ghosts or haunted places, know that those apparitions are evil spirits impersonating the dead, and you don’t want to have anything to do with it no matter how good or positive the messages or experiences may be.


3. Why do evil spirits haunt the living?
So, that leads us to another question. Why? Why do these evil spirits haunt and frighten people? Why do they impersonate the dead? Why do they help psychics solve crimes or fortune-tellers and mediums foretell the future?

Remember the enemy is out to keep as many of God’s children from choosing salvation and forgiveness as he can. Satan will use any weapon he can to mask the truth and keep people from choosing heaven and eternal life. And if that means scaring people, confusing people, misdirecting them, deceiving them, or whatever else he can think of to do, then he’ll do it.

Wouldn’t you be confused, if not scared, to see the supposed ghost of a loved one telling you to do something that is clearly unbiblical? What if something good happens because of a message you receive from the other side? Would you be more inclined to believe that spirit or message even if down the road you find that you are being lead away from the paths God has laid out for you? Confusion and deception are the main reasons why familiar spirits interact with humans.


4. A Warning About Contacting Evil Spirits
Now, the Bible gives us some very clear warnings about consulting with the supposed dead or having anything to do with those who do. Isaiah 8:19 (NIV) says, “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” We have no need of consulting with the dead or other spirits. We serve the One who created all of them. The living God who loves and cares for us is more powerful and wise than any of His creation.

The practices of speaking with familiar spirits, divination, sorcery etc. are totally abhorrent to God, and He gives us stiff warnings against them. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (NIV), “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in a fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, [11] or casts spells, or who is a medium, or spiritist or who consults the dead. [12] Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord…”

There were even severe punishments not only for those who practiced these arts, but also for those who associated with those who did. In Leviticus 20:6 (NIV) God says, “I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.” And in Leviticus 20:27 (NIV), “A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.”

I think those verses tell us pretty clearly what God’s feelings are about anyone who consults with evil spirits.


Now let me give you Christians a warning. As a Christian, you know that you are protected by the Holy Spirit that lives within you. You can never be possessed or taken over by an evil spirit after you have given your life to Christ. However, that does not mean you can not be attacked by, confused by, tempted by, or physically defeated by the enemy. It would be plain foolishness for anyone, even a Christian to purposely seek out evil spirits, or to take part in séances or psychic readings or whatever.

Just because the enemy can’t possess you doesn’t mean they won’t attack you. You are their enemy and you are stepping into their territory. That’s asking for trouble. Not only that, it’s also tempting God. It’s putting God to a foolish test and as Jesus clearly said to Satan in Matthew 4:7 (NIV) when he tried that trick on Him, “It is written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Stay away from anything that has to do with ghosts or spirits or witches or whatever. Don’t mess with it, Christian! It will be like setting one foot on the path to destruction. You’re opening a doorway that should remain closed and locked.