Ghosts?

[KleinerApfel]

(I've posted this in a couple of other places as I wasn't really sure where it beolngs and I didn't get many replies.)

I need some kind of sensible, easily understood explanation to offer my bright teenage daughter, who seemed less than satisfied with my slightly muddled thoughts on the matter.

I don't want her to be excessively interested, but don't want her to be fearful either.

I just need to know the general Christian view. (If there is one.)
We attend a very traditional Church of England, so don't get any teaching on such things.

My thoughts are that they probably fall into several categories:

Evil spirits/demons
Hoaxes/tricks
Hallucinations, delusions, or other misinterpretations of natural events
Unexplained natural causes

I don't think that they are spirits of dead people at all, because I don't believe God allows them to remain here causing trouble, but can't find any scripture to back up anything.

Any thoughts to set us on track?

Thanks, God bless, Susana

 

[TheOriginalWhitehorse]

Hi, Susana. I think you're right. Most of them would fall under those categories. Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise that day [Luke 23:43], so we know that people immediately go to their destination until the judgment, after which they will enter a new heaven and new earth [Rev. 21:1] or the place of suffering, depending on what God has decreed.

However, there was an instance in which King Saul used a medium to summon the spirit of Samuel, and the medium called him up successfully [I Samuel 28]. Most of the time I think you're right-it's a hoax or something unexplained, but when there really is a spirit, it's probably demonic, because they roam the earth looking for rest by indwelling or causing trouble for mankind [Job 1:6-7; Matthew 12:43-45], or carrying out a specific mission or work that God requires them to do [Job 1]. But we know from scripture that God does allow the actual spirits of people to appear when it is His will, which I suspect is extremely rare. In Saul's case, Samuel appeared in order to condemn him for his conduct.

 

[Tavita]

(I've posted this in a couple of other places as I wasn't really sure where it beolngs and I didn't get many replies.)

I need some kind of sensible, easily understood explanation to offer my bright teenage daughter, who seemed less than satisfied with my slightly muddled thoughts on the matter.

I don't want her to be excessively interested, but don't want her to be fearful either.

I just need to know the general Christian view. (If there is one.)
We attend a very traditional Church of England, so don't get any teaching on such things.

My thoughts are that they probably fall into several categories:

Evil spirits/demons
Hoaxes/tricks
Hallucinations, delusions, or other misinterpretations of natural events
Unexplained natural causes

I don't think that they are spirits of dead people at all, because I don't believe God allows them to remain here causing trouble, but can't find any scripture to back up anything.

Any thoughts to set us on track?

Thanks, God bless, Susana

I just looked up Strong's concordance for the KJV and it seems wherever 'ghost' is mentioned it's in regard to a person dying, giving up the ghost.

ghost: gavah (hebrew) - to breathe out, to expire.

or as: naphash (hebrew) - soul, life, person, heart.

So, it sounds like it's the soul leaving the body in death.
However, God doesn't allow those 'ghosts' to remain on the earth and just wander around. And He doesn't allow them to contact us or visa versa. There are scriptures to confirm that, but at this moment I can't search them out. So, any activity which shows that ghosts are hanging around must surely be demonic. It would have to be counterfeit, yes, I would say all those that you've mentioned above.
Hope this helps a little ....

 

[Tavita]

There is the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16: 19-31, which sheds some light on it too. It talks of the great chasm between heaven and hell:
26 - "And besides this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us."
So, if they can't cross over between those two places, it must be the same for the earth.

 

[KleinerApfel]

Thank you both for your replies.

That's a good point about God having the power to show a ghost if He wants to, but I agree it's extremely rare for Him to do this, (if indeed we are correctly understanding of the Samuel episode.)

I posted this in three places in the end to get more input, so anyone interested can look them up.

God bless, Susana