Do You believe In Ghosts/Spirits ?

[Apple Sky]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

 

[Desk trauma]

So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

No.

 

[bèlla]

No. What many associate with ghosts or departed spirts are demons in disguise. The dead do not speak and Saul was punished for transgressing the rule on necromancy.

“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.”

Modern sorcery practices like palo mayombe partake in the same. Take note of their description.

The religion centers on the power of the spirits of the dead, who are believed to have superhuman strength. Rituals and magic are used for various purposes, including healing, protection, and causing misfortune or harm to others, such as inducing insanity, divorce, or even death.

What fruit do you see in the details above? The Lord’s or the devil’s?

Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.

“Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit.”

~bella

 

[Apple Sky]

“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.”

I agree - Thank you.

 

[eleos1954]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

The appearance os Samuel was a demon

Saul put himself on the devil’s playground by talking to dead Samuel, and allowing demons to personify themselves, making Saul think he was seeing and communicating with a dead man. The Bible does not say it was Samuel. It says Saul perceived it was Samuel. It was a deception. The Bible is clear that the dead know nothing. Meanwhile, we are free to talk to God who is all-knowing.

• 1 Chronicles 10:13: This verse directly links Saul's death to his unfaithfulness and the forbidden act of consulting a medium, stating that he died for his "unfaithfulness to the LORD" by not keeping God’s word and for seeking guidance from a medium.

 

[Servus]

In most cases if the question is "do you believe __________ is real?", it isn't.

Also when you get a witch to summon Samuel from the dead, it's not him.

 

[Tuur]

In most cases if the question is "do you believe __________ is real?", it isn't.

Also when you get a witch to summon Samuel from the dead, it's not him.

"Do you believe such and such is real?" is merely a question. No different that teens asking each other "Do you think so-and-so likes me?" or "Do you think it will rain?"

Right or wrong, I got the impression that the witch of Endor was scared when she saw Samuel or what she thought was Samuel, and that what was happening was not the usual way of things. It's just an impression, nothing more. Have wondered if maybe, in that instance, something happened that had not happened before. If that was the case, if it was Samuel, it wasn't what she usually encountered, and that says much.

Re-reading 1 Samuel 28, someone could make the argument that the woman feared when she realized that the man who wanted to talk to Samuel was Saul. Maybe. Just wanted to point that out.

Either way, God said not to do such or to delve into such things. That's the bottom line.

Do I think there are ghosts or spirits? That depends both on what is meant by ghosts and what is meant by spirits. Does our soul continue after death? We are told it does. Does it hang around various places? Maybe not so much. Neither Lazarus or the Rich Man were hanging around earthly places and the Rich Man asked for Lazarus to go back to warn his kin. It's implied that the Rich Man couldn't, and Abraham refused the request.

 

[Servus]

"Do you believe such and such is real?" is merely a question. No different that teens asking each other "Do you think so-and-so likes me?" or "Do you think it will rain?"

What I mean is usually when something is actually real, people don't ask if it's real or not.

Right or wrong, I got the impression that the witch of Endor was scared when she saw Samuel or what she thought was Samuel, and that what was happening was not the usual way of things. It's just an impression, nothing more. Have wondered if maybe, in that instance, something happened that had not happened before. If that was the case, if it was Samuel, it wasn't what she usually encountered, and that says much.

Re-reading 1 Samuel 28, someone could make the argument that the woman feared when she realized that the man who wanted to talk to Samuel was Saul. Maybe. Just wanted to point that out.

Either way, God said not to do such or to delve into such things. That's the bottom line.

Do I think there are ghosts or spirits? That depends both on what is meant by ghosts and what is meant by spirits. Does our soul continue after death? We are told it does. Does it hang around various places? Maybe not so much. Neither Lazarus or the Rich Man were hanging around earthly places and the Rich Man asked for Lazarus to go back to warn his kin. It's implied that the Rich Man couldn't, and Abraham refused the request.

I think the witch/medium/soothsayer was probably a con artist and got surprised when an apparition actually manifested.

As for ghosts, extraterrestrials, Bigfoot being real or not, they're probably not. When something is actually real most people know that it's real.

 

[Tuur]

As for ghosts, extraterrestrials, Bigfoot being real or not, they're probably not. When something is actually real most people know that it's real.

A strong argument against extraterrestrials coming to earth is that no one's tried to register them to vote. The dead, on the other hand...

Be that as it may, I grew up beside a cemetery and the scariest thing that happened was when the dogs hemmed a bobcat up on the tallest tombstone. A grandmother grew up near the ruins of a mansion and occasionally they'd see lights around it, but considered it something natural. Had a great uncle who went ghost busting once and carried a gun. The fact that he carried a gun strongly argues he thought it was the flesh and blood up to meanness and not something incorporeal. As it happened, he discovered the "ghost" was the family's cat. A grandfather, who was walking home one night with money from selling cotton and was too tired to make it didn't want to just lay down near the road lest someone knock him in the head and steal the money. So he went into the middle of a cemetery and spent the night. That says something about how my family views such.

The interesting thing to me is that how people interpret a light or a noise as a "ghost" of this person or that person rather than a light or noise or some other phenomena. There was an eyewitness account of Union soldiers that came through toward the end of the Civil War, but then the accounts stop. But about where they stop there was a story of "Yankee ghosts." An eyewitness account to that describes a hovering light and a noise. What stick out in my mind is that very few Union soldiers came through locally during the Civil War, and that this was supposed to be Yankee ghosts may hint as to what happened to them.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.”
If the term means “spirit beings,” the answer is a qualified “yes.”
If the term means “spirits of people who have died,” the answer is “no.”
The Bible makes it abundantly 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 (2 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.” If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.
-copied

What is your opinion @Apple Sky

 

[Apple Sky]

Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.”
If the term means “spirit beings,” the answer is a qualified “yes.”
If the term means “spirits of people who have died,” the answer is “no.”
The Bible makes it abundantly 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 (2 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.” If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.
-copied

What is your opinion @Apple Sky

I agree Pepper.
I am only asking as I have recently lost my husband & I had a dream the other night that he was alive which thrilled me to bits, so I was wondering if the spirit of a deceased person could appear in our dreams.
I know it is abomination to the Lord to conjure up spirits as these are of demonic entities, this is why the Lord forbids such things.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

I agree Pepper.
I am only asking as I have recently lost my husband & I had a dream the other night that he was alive which thrilled me to bits, so I was wondering if the spirit of a deceased person could appear in our dreams.
I know it is abomination to the Lord to conjure up spirits as these are of demonic entities, this is why the Lord forbids such things.

First of all, sorry for your loss.
I lost my Dad as a child and had dreams afterward that he was in.
It's common to have that sort of thing happen, but it's just a dream and for bits of life, especially after hard times, to be in them isn't surprising.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Nope. Never did.

 

[Robban]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

A common belief if what Matthew 14:26 is anything to go by.

 

[tturt]

Yes very sorry for your loss

Also, I realize that it's an abomination to try to contact them. But in Matt 17:1-8 Jesus let Peter, James and John see Moses and Elias

but they were not trying to contact them.

 

[Larniavc]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

Nope. All we have are people who claim to have seen ghosts.

 

[Robban]

Of Saul ..........

The army of the Philistines approached and had threatened the covenant people, which disturbed the king (1 Samuel 28:4-5).

He was not able to consult the Lord through any of the legitimate ways, so in desperation he sought for the very people he banished.

He requested a medium and was sent to the home of a woman at En Dor (v. 7). Saul met the woman in a disguise and asked her to “bring up” Samuel the prophet.

The woman was aware of the law of the land and that Saul had banished her kind of people from practicing their sorcery. (vv. 8-9). After a promise from Saul that the Lord would not punish her, she attempted to bring up Samuel and to her own surprise, he actually came back to life! (vv. 10-12).

The exchange between Samuel and Saul at this point is reminiscent of prior conversations. Saul asked Samuel what to do about the Philistines, and Samuel responded by reminding Saul that YHWH had departed from him and gave the kingdom to David because of Saul’s disobedience.

Samuel then told Saul that he and his children would die in battle and be “with” Samuel (vv. 16-19).
And he did.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

So do you believe that ghosts do come back to visit us ?

Have you ever read the book "Haunted house?"


Author, Ugo First.

Do you get it?

 

[Apple Sky]

First of all, sorry for your loss.
I lost my Dad as a child and had dreams afterward that he was in.
It's common to have that sort of thing happen, but it's just a dream and for bits of life, especially after hard times, to be in them isn't surprising.

Sorry to hear about your dad

 

[Tuur]

Nope. All we have are people who claim to have seen ghosts.

Well, it's not like they'd ask us to validate their parking or something, so tangible evidence is, by definition, mighty slim. If I told someone about the last time I saw a shooting star, all you'd have is my claim that I'd see one.

The question is whether some of what people claim are ghosts are ghosts or natural phenomena, a ghost, or something supernatural other than a ghost. What I find intriguing is how "ghost" is often an explanation for an oddity or not quite an oddity.

Example: Keep in mind all you have is my account of it. In my childhood was riding a bike on the farm one Sunday afternoon when something that I first thought was a large piece of discarded white paper (think tissue paper) blowing in from the direction of the road. Then it blew through a plum tree without loosing its cohesiveness. It was like a cloud of dense, white, smoke with clearly defined edges. Was close to it, but smelled nothing. Went back and asked my parents what it was, and they didn't have any idea. A few short years later, saw something similar closer to the road, again in the daytime, again moving from the road, and having the same characteristics.

What was it?

To this day I don't know. Given the time of year and history of the farm, I could spin a ghost story out of it, but what I observed is what I described above. "Ghost" never occurred to me both times I observed it. Instead, it was "What is that?" But someone primed to think "ghost" by such an explanation for it may well report that's what they saw. That's the interesting thing to me.

 

[Larniavc]

If I told someone about the last time I saw a shooting star, all you'd have is my claim that I'd see one.

Apart from all the recorded evidence and well described mechanisms for and of their existence.