Ghosts

[akaDaScribe]

Are there ghosts?

I know that it says once to die then to Judgement, but judgement day is after the 1000 year reign. So what does that really mean?

I'm curious if anyone has done in depth Biblical research on this. I've known too many people who are not telling stories for gain, just people I've met along the way, who have had varying degrees of encounters. I think we all have.

Do you think every single one was a demon?
I haven't thoroughly researched it and was wondering if anyone else has.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Are there ghosts?

I know that it says once to die then to Judgement, but judgement day is after the 1000 year reign. So what does that really mean?

I'm curious if anyone has done in depth Biblical research on this. I've known too many people who are not telling stories for gain, just people I've met along the way, who have had varying degrees of encounters. I think we all have.

Do you think every single one was a demon?
I haven't thoroughly researched it and was wondering if anyone else has.

Short answer: There's no evidence of ghosts, i.e. spirits of the dead still hanging out in our midst. Are these demons then? I'm not saying that in some cases they couldn't be, but rather than assuming supernatural explanation for paranormal experiences, there is almost certainly and more than likely a perfectly good rational explanation. Here's one:

Infrasound - Wikipedia

So no, the people you know probably aren't lying. But neither are they experiencing ghosts, chances are there's a rather mundane explanation, such as infrasound.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Dave G.]

I believe it to be paranormal activity that is not of God. I believe it can be real, everything about it, from manifestations to objects moving in rooms etc. All possible and real and not of God. Since there are only two powers at the head of the spiritual realms on earth and if this is not of God , that only leaves one other choice. And that entity can take many forms and display many types of wonders that can play on your mind. This is not trivial and it's worth giving a very wide path away from. Just my opinion. But once you start picking up this kind of noise in your life, it can be tough to deal with and to get it out of your life.

 

[akaDaScribe]

Hmmm... Well, there are many scenarios that have scientific explanations. There are many other scenarios where the person/people would have to be hallucinating, lieing, or telling the truth. I know people like to exaggerate to make a story more interesting. But to some degree, will some of these stories, especially from people i know, I am compelled to acknowledge that something happened.

I agree that lingering spirits does not make much sense because if it was possible, it would be a lot more frequent i would think. But I'm not talking about a window that needs insulation. I'm talking about accounts you either believe or you don't. And if you do believe it was something, where exactly does it belong, or is it something we just don't know beyond that it says not try to communicate with the dead?

There are some things that can't simply be dismissed without damaging the person who had the encounter.

 

[football5680]

I don't think so. God could send the soul of somebody who has departed and have them appear to people in a visible form, but there would be some kind of purpose behind this, like delivering a message.

 

[Dave G.]

I don't think so. God could send the soul of somebody who has departed and have them appear to people in a visible form, but there would be some kind of purpose behind this, like delivering a message.

He could but there is nothing in scripture to support the theory.

 

[CrystalWolf]

I don't think they're "demons" at all or anything like that. I think that many may be hallucinations, some may be spirits of the dead, who knows?

 

[akaDaScribe]

It seems like a more common occurrence shortly after someone dies. Maybe it takes a moment to go or something. I haven't really researched it because most information about it is tied to other religions and I don't want to side track myself. But i was talking to someone recently and it's a bit tricky to deal with because it seems like the Bible neither confirms nor denies ghosts emphatically. I mean it says not to try to contact that dead quite clearly. My response was just that.

Many people, including Christians, have had these odd experiences. They don't bring it up in a Christian setting because they will many times be chastised or dismissed.

But if anyone has dug deep into this area within the Bible, I would love to hear about it.

 

[football5680]

He could but there is nothing in scripture to support the theory.

Really? Explain Samuel speaking to Saul. Moses speaking with Jesus. Nothing I said was theory, it was just facts. God can do it, and God has done it.

 

[Dave G.]

Really? Explain Samuel speaking to Saul. Moses speaking with Jesus. Nothing I said was theory, it was just facts. God can do it, and God has done it.

True but don't you think these are specific prophetic events that happened for the purpose of fulfilling scripture and or prophesy ? Having a ghost hanging out at your house is another whole ball of wax from that IMO. But ya it's just my opinion.

I believe that I have had my own visions and events taking place in my life, in fact I know I have. I also believe that angels can be sent in , visible ones, that look perfectly like you and me. This is different from paranormal ghost activity all together , again , IMO.

What do you think ( seriously, I'm not trying to jab at you here but am serious) ?

 

[Albion]

The fact is that we do not know--and are not given to know--everything about the nature of existence in the spirit world.

It may be best just to avoid the effort to explain phenomena like this one.

 

[football5680]

True but don't you think these are specific prophetic events that happened for the purpose of fulfilling scripture and or prophesy ? Having a ghost hanging out at your house is another whole ball of wax from that IMO. But ya it's just my opinion.

I believe that I have had my own visions and events taking place in my life, in fact I know I have. I also believe that angels can be sent in , visible ones, that look perfectly like you and me. This is different from paranormal ghost activity all together , again , IMO.

What do you think ( seriously, I'm not trying to jab at you here but am serious) ?

Did you miss the fact that I started off by saying "I don't think so?" I believe we are judged when we die so the existence of ghosts wouldn't fit into my beliefs. All I was doing in my first post was saying that the souls of the departed can appear to the living in a visible form, and this could be interpreted as a ghost. I also stated that this would only occur by the will of God in important situations where God wants to communicate a message. If we are speaking about Ghosts as wandering spirits of those who have died, then I completely reject it. We will be judged and we will go to Heaven or Hell, we won't be wandering Earth.

 

[Dave G.]

The fact is that we do not know--and are not given to know--everything about the nature of existence in the spirit world.

It may be best just to avoid the effort to explain phenomena like this one.

Well as I said in my first post , it can lead to unwanted events and spirits that are hard to shed. So I agree, it's a good area to avoid.

 

[Albion]

OK, but my point was not related to any possible consequences like that. While I do not disagree with your advice, I was saying that we cannot deduce or in any other way find out the answer to questions such as whether or not ghosts are what they seem.

The effort will be futile, even if such unwanted events as you have mentioned are avoided.

 

[akaDaScribe]

I've seen my share of amazing things, but I haven't ever encountered a ghost. By ghost i mean an entity that i could identify as a person formerly living. There are scriptures like the two listed above that could support an argument for them, but I don't know if those were exceptions and i don't want to pool a group of scriptures to substantiate a bias i may have.

For example, when Jesus appeared in the room among the disciples after his resurrection,

Luke 24:39
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Is he acknowledging that spirits can look like a non-material person?
Is he referring to a ghost of himself or some other generic spirit?

Is there any distinction between the spirits of the dead vs an angel or unclean spirit or demon or devil? I mean in terms of what it is or consists of vs how it behaves.
I don't know.

Any hardcore researchers out there who have looked into this?

 

[Dave G.]

OK, but my point was not related to any possible consequences like that. While I do not disagree with your advice, I was saying that we cannot deduce or in any other way find out the answer to questions such as whether or not ghosts are what they seem.

The effort will be futile, even if such unwanted events as you have mentioned are avoided.

I like that, thanks for the clarification.

 

[Butch5]

Are there ghosts?

I know that it says once to die then to Judgement, but judgement day is after the 1000 year reign. So what does that really mean?

I'm curious if anyone has done in depth Biblical research on this. I've known too many people who are not telling stories for gain, just people I've met along the way, who have had varying degrees of encounters. I think we all have.

Do you think every single one was a demon?
I haven't thoroughly researched it and was wondering if anyone else has.

I've studied this subject in quite some death and no there are no ghosts. The idea that ghosts exist is based on a misunderstanding of what a man is.

 

[brian57]

Do you think every single one was a demon?

Yes I do. I have many family and friends who have seen and heard ghostly things. Two people I know woke up in the middle of the night to see two headless bodies standing at the end of their beds. If these two ghosts are resurrected humans then what doe's that tell us about the resurrection...that we can come back have fun and scare the hell out of who ever we want?

 

[akaDaScribe]

Yes I do. I have many family and friends who have seen and heard ghostly things. Two people I know woke up in the middle of the night to see two headless bodies standing at the end of their beds. If these two ghosts are resurrected humans then what doe's that tell us about the resurrection...that we can come back have fun and scare the hell out of who ever we want?

Do you know people who have had positive experiences? People who saw ghosts of the recently dead who are saying goodbye?

 

[akaDaScribe]

I've studied this subject in quite some death and no there are no ghosts. The idea that ghosts exist is based on a misunderstanding of what a man is.

If you could share more in depth what you studied and found, that would be great.

It does seem to be a bit of a gray area that is a taboo to discuss, but based on the frequency of some types of occurrences, it warrants a more thorough answer if we have one to give. When we just say no and people know what they experienced/ saw, they just end up going other places looking for answers.

Not trying to put the burden on you, but if you have extensive information on the matter, it would be very good to see.