In light of Halloween this month, and all the recent TV shows on ghosts, and movies about vampires, I felt the need to address our obsession with these supernatural issues.
So instead of reinventing the wheel, following is a blog from my pastor and friend, David Brown. He addressed the issues here so thoroughly that I couldn’t think of a way to improve on it. Enjoy!
It came to my attention just this week that we’ve had a considerable amount of interest in ghosts of late. People have called and wanted to know about them. Some believe they’ve spotted one. They sometimes seem a little puzzled by our lack of faith in Casper and his more sinister counterparts.
It’s true folks. I don’t believe in ghosts. Nor does any member of our pastoral staff…at least not as far as I know. Why not? Because the Bible doesn’t mention them…except to say that someone “thought” they saw one.
One day, Jesus came walking on the water to meet his disciples in the middle of the Sea. (A strange place to board a boat!) Surprised by his sudden maritime approach, the Bible says that the disciples began to scream because they thought they were seeing “a spirit” (That’s King Jimmy for “a ghost” See Mark 6:49). But it wasn’t a ghost. It was Jesus. It was a case of mistaken identity. And so it is with every ghost sighting. What people take for ghosts are really something else…or someone else. It could be the wind, or their eyes playing tricks on them, or even their fear. Then again, it could be a real supernatural being called “a spirit”.
There are spirits! God is a spirit. Satan is a spirit. Angels and demons are spirits and you are a spirit as well. Every human is a spiritual being. Being spiritual beings ourselves, spirits can at times, contact us, affect us, or even communicate with us. But these spirits aren’t ghosts. They are not the disembodied souls of dead people. When a person dies he immediately goes to either heaven or hell. There is no purgatory, no limbo and no lingering spirits of deceased people who need to finish something or set something straight before finding rest.
Can a demonic spirit pose as a ghost? Sure. I’m convinced that while most séances are total fakery, there is the possibility of modern day necromancers actually making contact with demon spirits. These demons have been around for thousands of years, have observed humans and their families making it possible to mimic dead relatives and to know facts that we assume only our loved ones could know. Demonic spirits can become familiar with people, thus the term “familiar spirits” mentioned in Scripture.
So what am I saying? Ghosts are a sham. While a seemingly innocent ghost story being told around the campfire or seeing a movie about ghosts can provide a little entertainment value…the truth is there are no ghosts, just demon posers…and a lot of human imagination.
Good news! Jesus gave us power and authority over all demon spirits. (See Luke 10:19) If you actually ever do run up on a genuine, bona fide, demon spirit in ghostly manifestation, just quote God’s word (See Jesus’ satanic temptation in the wilderness) and use the Name of Jesus on him (Mark 16:17)! He will run away from you. (See Mark 16:17 and James 4:7)
Oh yeah…and about those vampires. They’re not real either.
I love the blog. It needs more publicity. This is good on ghosts. I have wondered... In the Spirit, is there really such a thing as space or distance? I know lovedones that have passed are with Jesus, but there have been times it seems like they are near or perhaps, I feel them. Is this wrong? Is that a deception? I guess I could equate that with the fact that they are near since Jesus is in me and therefore, they are near since they are with him? It's just a strange feeling I have sometimes and I've never really been able to ascertain exactly what it was I was feeling.
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