The Afterlife

[desperate 4 YOU]

Ok, me and a friend of mine were having a discussion sparked by Halloween. Around this time of year you see all kinds of movies and shows, talking about or showing the existence of ghosts. These ghosts, apparitions, or poltergeists are supposedly spirit or soul of a person who died in torment, and are doomed to walk the earth forever.

But it has always been my understanding that when you die, you are judged and sent to either Heaven or Hell. I've been doing some research but can't find any biblical evidence that a person continues to walk the earth after their death. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY IN THIS MATTER? If their is anybody out there who has wondered the same thing, or maybe has some scripture relating to this subject, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rafael]

The only beings that seek doorways into the physical realm are demons. All the people who die go to be with the Lord if they are Christains, but the unrighteous wait in hell for judgment before the lake of fire where hell and death will be cast.
Satan is the prince of the power of the air. What is the power of the air? It is his demons who are set up as pricipalites and powers in high places. We are doorways that can be used to affect the physical world, and demons desire to use us and escape the spiritual. The physical body has senses and benefits that are to be cherished or God would never had made them. The new bodies we are promised as mansions by Jesus will be eternal physical bodies that we will use to inhabit the new heavens and earth - spiritual and physical.

Eph 2:2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

Eph 6:12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Matthew 12:43 "When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean.
45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation."

Ge 4:7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."

2 Cor.5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Re 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

 

[Kehaar]

Hi there

I would like to add a piece of scripture to that that raphe has already posted.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity 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 fire.'
"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

Luke 16:22-26

I don't believe the dead return to 'haunt' us, it is deception.

 

[Gil-Galad12]

That's a very good question. When I'm bored I've been surfing the web looking at all sorts of ghost sites and such, mainly for fun. But some of this stuff completely baffles me. Things like EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) and ITC (something about tv sets), and apparitions in pictures are very strange and confusing. Many of the pictures appear to be children, and some look harmless, but they really creep me out. There is all sorts of scientific mumbo jumbo that 'ghost hunters' use to justify their research (Visit sites like aaevp.com, or http://www.ebaumsworld.com/ghosts.html. So is it all a bunch of junk, or are all the apparitions really demons? I'm inclined towards the latter, because there is just too much evidence to say that its all a fraud.

Anyone else have an opinion on this? It certainly does make sense that a demon would pose as an innocent 'ghost' of a relative in order to lure a person into questionable practices.

 

[KleinerApfel]

One reason evil spirits pose as a dead relative was recently suggested to me:
the ghostly experience offers a false belief regarding the afterlife, potentially leading someone away from the truth of the gospel.

They may feel reassured that their loved one, regardless of the way they lived, their religion or relationship to God, has survived death, and is either content in another place or able to come and visit back here.

This may lead people to believe there is no need to be concerned about sin, and that all "nice" people will live forever as happy spirits. That doesn't seem to be what the gospel says.

I think we need to be wise regarding these things, but it is dangerous to become fascinated by them.
I'd advise against using non-Christian sources of spiritual information, which are likely to contain deception.

God bless, Susana

 

[desperate 4 YOU]

Anyone else have an opinion on this? It certainly does make sense that a demon would pose as an innocent 'ghost' of a relative in order to lure a person into questionable practices.

One reason evil spirits pose as a dead relative was recently suggested to me:
the ghostly experience offers a false belief regarding the afterlife, potentially leading someone away from the truth of the gospel.

That was pretty much what I told my friend, who is a 2 month old "New Christian" . But she has all these non-Christian beliefs that have been instilled in her by her family, since she was young. Things like:

"el ojo" (pronounced oh-ho)- the belief that if you look at a baby and dont touch it it can get sick. Keeping salt around. Hanging garlic. Putting an egg underneath your bed to see if people put a curse towards you.

I believe all these things are witchcraft, and of satan. I also believe that things like beliefs in ghosts and pagan superstitions invites evil into your heart. I've told her that when her sister and mother tell her things like, it's satan attacking through her family. Anyway, I know we must honor our mother and father, but is it wrong to rebuke them for practicing these things?

 

[KleinerApfel]

That was pretty much what I told my friend, who is a 2 month old "New Christian" . But she has all these non-Christian beliefs that have been instilled in her by her family, since she was young. Things like:

"el ojo" (pronounced oh-ho)- the belief that if you look at a baby and dont touch it it can get sick. Keeping salt around. Hanging garlic. Putting an egg underneath your bed to see if people put a curse towards you.

I believe all these things are witchcraft, and of satan. I also believe that things like beliefs in ghosts and pagan superstitions invites evil into your heart. I've told her that when her sister and mother tell her things like, it's satan attacking through her family. Anyway, I know we must honor our mother and father, but is it wrong to rebuke them for practicing these things?

I think "rebuke" is probably the wrong word here.

Your friend need positive nurturing first, to get to know what is Christian and what isn't, and it might take some time for her to realise just how far she used to be from God.
I know it took me years to really appreciate just how sinful some of my attitudes had been.

God is gracious, and reveals these things to us gradually, so we can deal with them according to His plan and help for each step.

You need to tell your friend, whenever she mentions another strange belief from her family, that no, that doesn't fit with God's word, and she can walk away from that and thank God for her freedom from fear and superstition.

She needs to pray for her family, but to tell them they're wrong and try to boss them around won't help either them or her.
If she maintains good relationships with her family and prays for God to help her, she may eventually be able to share the Gospel gently and in a non- threatening manner.

Can you get your friend involved in some nurturing group to find her feet a bit more? Bible study, home group? Even just the two of you explore the word of God together and share prayer concerns.

God bless you both,
Susana

 

[Gil-Galad12]

That was pretty much what I told my friend, who is a 2 month old "New Christian" . But she has all these non-Christian beliefs that have been instilled in her by her family, since she was young. Things like:

"el ojo" (pronounced oh-ho)- the belief that if you look at a baby and dont touch it it can get sick. Keeping salt around. Hanging garlic. Putting an egg underneath your bed to see if people put a curse towards you.

I believe all these things are witchcraft, and of satan. I also believe that things like beliefs in ghosts and pagan superstitions invites evil into your heart. I've told her that when her sister and mother tell her things like, it's satan attacking through her family. Anyway, I know we must honor our mother and father, but is it wrong to rebuke them for practicing these things?

Well I'm very happy for your friend as well. But her old strange customs aren't exactly evil, they are just a relic from the days when Christian missionaries forced the native Indians to convert, and to ease the transition, they let them keep some of their old customs. The same thing happened in Dark Age Northern Europe. Halloween is an example of something that has survived from the pagan traditions.

I've heard some strange Mexican superstitions as well from family members, like every time you pass a church you have to do the sign of the crucifix, or having a shrine to various saints and lighting candles by them, or having a 'dreamcather' above one's bed. These things aren't evil, they are just superstitious oddities left over from old generations. She shouldn't criticize her parents for practicing these things, but let them see that rubbing a rabbit's foot, or lighting shrines to saints, avoiding walking under a ladder, or burning religious candles doesn't do anything. God sees through all those superficial rituals and looks straight at your heart. Cultivating your relationship with Him is far more effective than any custom you can cook up.

BTW, that 'el ojo' (the eye) thing is pretty strange.

 

[desperate 4 YOU]

I think it's Judges chapter 2, where God commands his people to destroy the pagan "altars", but his people fail in this. After a few generations, they abandon their belief in the Lord, and incorporate pagan beliefs. When the Israelies put their trust in pagan rituals he was angered and abandoned them. So where as some might see these traditions as "quaint", I think it's a breach in our covenant with God.

Yeah, that ojo thing is strange, and although I'm Mexican-American (4th generation) myself, I had never heard of that until recently. I wonder where that came from anyway. Hmmm...

Psalm 4:5 – Put your trust in the Lord

Psalm 5:11 – Let all those that put their trust in God rejoice
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[Yitzchak]

There are many issues about which the scripture is silent. It is best to be cautious when we are forming opinions about things about which the scripture is silent. So my advice is to stick with scripture which says the ultimate destination of a soul is either heaven or hell. Some of the details of what the phenomena of ghosts really is may get into speculations which are unsure. We do know that there are two supernatural forces in the universe. Good and evil. Either for God or against. There are no neutrals in this.

 

[desperate 4 YOU]

Well said...