What The Bible Says On Ghosts

What is going on here?

Are ghosts real?

Are they the souls of dead people? Are they demons? Or something else?

Well, people for thousands of years have encountered things they cannot fully explain.

So, there is something. Unless you want to call them all liars, scammers or crazy.

Which would be harder to believe than that there are ghosts.

There are common beliefs that ghosts are the spirits of the dead. That they are demonic/unclean spirits, or something else or maybe both.

Some believe that ghosts are the souls of the dead, that have become trapped in a location, or object.

The Bible teaches that when a person dies, they go to the place prepared for them. Whether it’s Paradise, which we call Heaven. Or Hell.

That’s the most basic understanding. But, we find in Revelation that when God calls souls forth for judgement. He calls them from the sea, death and Hell. Three places. (Rev. 20:13)

He does not call them from Paradise or Heaven. Those souls are with Christ, already. “Absent from the body, present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8, 2 Cor. Chapter 5)

That whole subject could go off the rails onto all kinds of things. But, let’s focus on Ghosts.

Which means that I need to clarify something. It is common for people to be “Visited” by a recently departed loved one. I am not referring to this. I cannot prove it, but I don’t see why a person who has recently died wouldn’t be allowed to visit loved ones. Jesus was on the Earth for a time before His ascension.

I realize that Christ is different, but there’s nothing which says it’s impossible for God to allow visitation before departing to their place. I’m not saying they do or don’t. It might apply to saved people or unsaved. I can’t say. Does it lead you more toward God and peace, or away from God? That is the real question.

But, I am not talking about these kinds of visitations.

I’m referring to hauntings and haunted places.

There is nothing in the scriptures that indicates that ghosts are dead souls or that a soul can get trapped some where until it resolves a tragedy, or problem.

Can souls get trapped by earthly problems? Can they get trapped by anything at all? That is the question.

I cannot answer that based upon what I know from the Bible. The Bible teaches that saved people go to be with the Lord in Paradise, when they die. They have a spiritual body, until the time of the resurrection and/or Christ’s return when they will receive an eternal body that will never die. (2 Cor. 5:8, 2 Cor. Chapter 5, Rom. 8:11, 1 Corinthians 15:36-57)

But, what about the unsaved?

Often times we try to answer things we really don’t know.

Paul says, “intruding into things they have not seen, being puffed up by their fleshly mind.” (Colossians 2:18)

Our pride in our intellect wants us to answer all questions. But, the answers should come from God. He can tell us.

The scriptures say nothing about souls getting trapped. I personally do not think God would allow such a thing.

Souls go exactly where God prepared for them based upon the rules He set up. Getting “trapped” would imply that there is a fault in God’s rules, or God allows it.

There are things we do not know or understand. But, we can be sure that no soul “accidentally” gets stuck, and God doesn’t know.

If a soul gets trapped in a house, location or object. Then it’s something God designed in His creation or He has allowed it somehow.

So, that leads us to the Creation. There are things about this creation of God’s that humans do not understand or even know anything about.

So even if a ghost is not the spirit of a dead person, that doesn’t mean it can’t be something else.

Have you ever gone to a place that was considered “holy or sacred or haunted” and felt something?

The Bible teaches that we are not to lean upon our own understanding. Because when we do we can be deceived by the enemy.

So we submit these things to God to teach us wisdom. (Prov. 3:5-6, Jas 1:5)

It seems that these places, are spots where the veil between earth, or flesh, and the spiritual realms are thinner.

The Bible calls them “high places”, and they often were on hills or mountain tops or groves. But, not always. They are often in connection to what are called ley lines or vortices, by some.

These are places where the people worshiped things other than God.

We are to worship nothing but God.

We are not to worship the creation. That includes holy or sacred places.

The God we know is everywhere. He is not tied to a location. He can make anything holy.

But, that does not mean that there aren’t places that have a closer connection with the spiritual. We are just not supposed to worship it or be controlled by it.

Now, apply this to ghosts. Perhaps these places that are haunted are places that have a thinner barrier to the spiritual realms, or that place beyond the veil that we cannot see.

Perhaps, events such as tragedy or battles or prayers, can create places that are thinner and allow more contact with the spiritual realms beyond the veil covering our reality. The screen protecting us from seeing what’s out beyond our fleshly capabilities.

What I’m saying here are my own views based upon what I understand from scripture, other sources and my own experience.

We do not know anything other than what God has revealed, and we do not want to surmise beyond a point, and claim “thus sayeth the Lord.” Because, we really do not know.

 There are things in God’s creation we do not understand. Or even know about. Things He warns us of.

Can Haunted or Holy places be connected to locations where the veil is thinner? Possibly.

That leads us to the demonic. Are ghosts demons?

Well, do they do good things and spread the Kingdom of God?

They often cause fear, doubt and confusion.

Do they lead people to Christ? How do they respond to spiritual warfare?

In my experience, they respond to being cast out in Jesus name. Not saying they leave forever, but there’s a response.

I’ve been places, that we’re definitely under the influence of some kind of demonic spirit. There was a heaviness, and a desire to get out, without any rational explanation.

I prayed and the spirit was held at bay till I left. That’s all I can say.

I was staying in an airbnb in Kansas City, that was “haunted”.  At night when we slept, there were weird noises waking us up. There was an oppression, and nightmares or strange dreams.

I finally started praying and casting out the demon in Jesus name and it left for a day or two, but it returned and needed to be prayed on again, till we left.

There was something. But, it responded to spiritual warfare and faith. It responded to the name of Jesus.

Let’s look at a scenario.

Now I’m not saying this is fact. Remember, we cannot intrude into things we have not seen.

But, I’m throwing some things against the wall to see if they stick. Some of this, are things I’ve come to consider a real possibility.

It’s my belief that demonic entities attach themselves to humans because of doors we open, or tears that occur in our hedge of protection. This allows more access to us by demonic entities.

Let’s take a young boy who gets molested by his dad, uncles and cousins.

This is trauma. Devastating.

Because of this a demonic entity attaches itself to the boy. (The Dad, Uncles or Cousins have demons attached to them as well. Things like sin or trauma can open doors and allow these things to harass us or have access to us.)

As the boy grows the entity whispers into the child’s mind tempting him to rape, and molest neighbor kids. It tempts him to torture animals and family members, like siblings. We see this often in serial killers.

As the kid grows up, the demon calls more demons to attach themselves to the child, and the kid gets worse, as he grows into a man.

Now, if this person had heard of Jesus, and turned to Him. If he had gotten saved, he could have been set free from the demons harassing him, and been healed from the trauma.

But he never did.

So, this guy rapes and molests kids. He might even murder some and bury them in his crawlspace. As the demons whisper for him to do it, and his sinful flesh responds.

So, let’s say this guy has a heart attack and dies, or the cops come and shoot him, or something.

This guy dies, and his human soul goes to where it should go.

Could it leave those demons behind? Then, those demonic entities attach themselves, to that location or house? Demons left behind to torment others in that place?

Remember, the demons asked Jesus for leave to enter the swine, then they went and drown themselves in the sea. (Matt. Chapter 8, Mark Chapter 5, Luke chapter 8)

So these entities can change hosts, obviously. They can inhabit humans and animals, why not houses or locations?

Also, consider that the Bible calls our body a tent or house, or vessel which contains our soul and spirit. (2 Cor. 5:8, 2 Cor. Chapter 5)

Maybe a house can hold a demon?

Maybe, when sin, evil or tragedy occurs, demons on the other side can detect it, like vultures, and come in hordes, attaching themselves, to the person or location as well?

I’m just spit balling here.

We only know so much.

But it could explain “Haunted” or evil locations and entities dwelling there.

We have some verses that speak of Ghosts. 

One of the most famous is the witch of Endor story. (1 Samuel 28:7-25)

Saul the king was not hearing from God, so he sinned and consulted a witch who had a familiar spirit or spirit of divination. 

The witch starts to channel something. Now when you read the verses it’s obvious that she is channeling. So Saul only sees what the witch tells him.

She asks who Saul wants to speak to and Saul says Samuel.

Then the witch freaks out because she realizes that it’s king Saul, and he might kill her.

He relaxes her fear and asks what she sees.

She says she sees “gods ascending onto the earth.”  

She sees spiritual entities which she refers to as “gods”, coming up from somewhere to the Earth.

Saul asks what they look like, and she describes an old man in a mantle.

Saul says, “it is Samuel!”

So, we must decide is it a demon, or is it really the Spirit of Samuel.

It seems to be Samuel, and the Bible seems to imply that it is, calling him Samuel.

The spirit tells Saul the truth and predicts the future. 

The verses here seem to go against everything we understand about what happens to the dead. (Lev. 19:28, Lev. 19:31, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Ecc 9:5)

But, it also shows that maybe we are wrong or don’t know everything.

It serves to show us that there are things we do not understand. Which is why God warns us not to play around with these sorts of things. (Deuteronomy 18:9-12)

I tend to think it was a demon. Maybe even the one that was already tormenting Saul.

The Bible says God had turned from Saul, and would not answer. So why would God then use a familiar spirit or a ghost to speak to Saul and predict the future?

I think it was a demonic entity telling Saul exactly what was planned for him because God had delivered Saul into their hands. They used the image of Samuel to torment him.

Now I cannot prove it. But, it seems more plausible to me than thinking that a witch with a demon can bring a prophet of God, out of Paradise, where he was resting, to answer a few questions contrary to what seems to be God’s will, and law.

And then, for God to punish Saul for going to the medium? Why would God use the spirit of Samuel through the medium, then punish Saul for going there?

But, I’ve learned that I don’t know everything.

Here’s a couple of other “Ghost or Angel” verses.

When Peter was arrested and escaped, by the help of an angel.

He went to the house where the disciples were and they thought he had died, and it was his angel knocking on the door.(Acts 12:15) (Perhaps they though it was a visitation as was mentioned before)

Did the early church believe that dead saints became angels or that the dead became ghosts?

We don’t really see it in the Bible. Angels are specific created beings. 

When humans die we gain a spiritual body. But, we don’t think we become angels, like Michael or Gabriel.

Were they referring to Peter’s spiritual/glorified body, perhaps like the body of Jesus when He entered the upper room through a locked door? (John Chapter 20)

So, that’s a question.

Also, another verse is when the disciples were rowing a boat at night. They saw Jesus walking on the water and thought it was a spirit or ghost.(Matthew 14:22-33)

So, the disciples clearly believed in ghosts or spirits at this time. The verse doesn’t explain ghosts, and they could have learned more later on.

But, they obviously believed in some kind of spiritual being that frightened them. Maybe they thought it was a spiritual entity of some kind, a fallen spirit. It caused them to fear.

Obviously, there are “Ghosts” or something.

The Bible shows this.

Ghost hunters swear that there are physical methods for detecting “Ghosts”.

Perhaps “Ghosts” are something the Creation makes in response to tragedy? Like an echo, or reflection or shadow that is not the actual thing. It is not really a demon or spirit or soul of a dead person that is conscious, but it appears to be?

Just a thought.

I’m not sure what ghosts are. I want to go by what the Bible teaches and what seems to be true.

So, my belief from everything I have stated above, is that a large amount of “Ghosts” are actually demons and/or unclean spirits trapped in a location where their previous host died or they were drawn there because of some kind of human activity that attracted them.

BUT… it is possible that some ghosts are the souls of unsaved people who have become trapped because they never knew God. The Bible doesn’t seem to teach this, but since souls are called from three different places, in Revelation it’s possible.

It’s also possible that some “Ghosts” are energy or vibration or something God’s creation brings into being, like an echo. This could probably be scientifically explained eventually.

It could be any of these or a mixture of the three. Or something else entirely.

Christians love to quote a verse “The dead know nothing.” and it is supposed to imply that the dead are not ghosts or capable of being ghosts. I searched for this verse and found this in Ecclesiastes,

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”—Ecc. 9:5

The verse in context, indicates that the dead go to their place and have no more dealings with this world. This tells us that Ghosts are not the souls of the dead. So, they must be something else.

But, at the end of the day it must be asked. How does the belief in ghosts impact your view or trust in God and His promises? Does it cause you to doubt? Or draw you away? or reject?

That’s what matters.

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Cover photo by pexels/Susan Flores