Ghosts

Humanity has always had a fear of ghosts. Even thousands of years ago, Jesus’ disciples were afraid of ghosts.

• Matthew 14:25-27 HCSB Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said, and cried out in fear. 27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. "Have courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Jesus, however, never taught that ghosts exist. Instead, before He died for our sins, He taught that at death people went to “Gehenna” (a word that means abode of the dead) into one of two compartments: the righteous to “paradise” or “Abraham’s bosom” and the unrighteous to “hades”.

• Luke 16:19-26 HCSB "There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate. 21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man's table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 'Father Abraham!' he called out, 'Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!' 25 "'Son,' Abraham said, 'remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.'
• Luke 23:40-43 HCSB But the other answered, rebuking him: "Don't you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we're getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!" 43 And He said to him, "I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise."

After Jesus died for our sins and resurrected, the righteous dead ceased going to “paradise”. Now, when the elect die, we go straight to heaven to be with the Lord.

• 2 Corinthians 5:8 HCSB yet we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.

After Jesus died, He reappeared to the disciples and demonstrated to them the silliness of believing in ghosts by allowing them to touch Him and see Him eat. He was not confirming the existence of ghosts but affirming that He was real unlike the ghosts of fables.

• Luke 24:35-43 HCSB Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 36 And as they were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them, "Peace to you!" 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 "Why are you troubled?" He asked them. "And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." 40 Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet. 41 But while they still could not believe because of their joy and were amazed, He asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, 43 and He took it and ate in their presence.

I do not deny that many people have seen strange apparitions and that some have experienced truly “haunted” houses. However, those apparitions and hauntings are not dead humans. Rather they are demonic forces seeking to deceive.

• 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 HCSB For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light. 15 So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works.

Note: These false “ghosts” may appear and pretend to be friendly and may even offer inside knowledge as proof that they are dead loved ones. But we must remember that these creatures are incredibly old and that they could easily acquire the requisite knowledge by simply hanging around and watching. In fact, many cultures refer to demonic forces as “the Watchers.” Their goal is to deceive us. Let’s not forget that.

Lucifer has been trying to deceive us from the very beginning.

• Genesis 3:1-5 HCSB Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'" 4 "No! You will not die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

He is specifically described as a deceiver.

• Revelation 12:9 HCSB So the great dragon was thrown out--the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

Even the humans who work for him are deceivers.

• John 8:44 HCSB You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.
• Revelation 19:20 HCSB But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed signs on his authority, by which he deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.