What is a Ghost?
Are you ready for some unlearning? Prepare yourself because ghosts are not what you think they are.
The definition of “ghost” according to Merriam-Webster is “the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness.”
The original ghost hunting team T.A.P.S. from Ghost Hunters will teach you that there are two types of ghosts: residual and intelligent. A residual ghost is the soul of a dead person caught in a loop in time that replays a memory the person acted out in life. Like a farmer using farming equipment. Unlike a residual spirit that’s trap in time, an intelligent ghost will respond to and interact directly with the living.
Hollywood has its own spin on what ghosts are: the soul of a dead person caught in limbo until they resolve their unfinished business. Take it from movies like Casper and Ghost.
But the Bible teaches something different entirely.
Second Corinthians 5:8 says, “to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” In the moment we die, our spirits leave our bodies and are transported directly to the final destination of we chose in life (Heaven or Hell). But what keeps the souls from trickling out of Heaven or Hell to interact with the living?
The parable of Luke 16:19-31 does. Jesus gives the parable of a rich man in hell who calls out to Abraham in Heaven. The rich man begs for a former beggar he knew, Lazarus, to dip his finger in water and place it on the rich man’s tongue to quench the torment from the flames of Hades. But Abraham says, “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thee.”
The gulf is a boundary that souls in Heaven and Hades cannot cross. If souls can’t leave Heaven and Hades, that means they cannot be the “ghosts” behind paranormal activity on earth.
If ghosts aren’t the souls of the dead, then what are they?
Demons.
Trust me, I know how it sounds. I grew up in haunted houses. I had a ghost hunting investigation for my 13th birthday party. But hear me out because it’s true. There is no such thing as “ghosts” as we know it.
Leviticus 19:31 says, “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spirits, for you will be defiled by them.”
Satan and the demonic have the power to manifest as your lost loved one or friend, or even as your family pet. Without fully understanding Second Corinthians 5:8 and Luke 16:26, it is easy for the Devil to lure you into sin and affliction under the guise of a deceased person.
Why would demons pretend to be a ghost? Simple: to draw us away from God.
If you knew the spirit of your deceased grandmother was roaming your house, you’d be less likely to rebuke it, right? Letting “Grandma’s” spirit stay is giving place to the Devil in your home.
If you saw the cat you just lost scampering through the house, you’re bound to follow it when it seems to be leading you to something. It’s leading you to isolation so the Devil can attack you.
Think about the obsession of ghost hunters. Their mission is to prove that life continues after death. And in that obsessive pursuit, they replace seeking God with seeking evidence.
Scripture already proves life after death.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
– Romans 6:23
We need to see “ghosts” and paranormal activity through spiritual eyes. That’s not little Betty Jo who drowned in the lake behind your house in 1836; that apparition of a little girl is a dressed-up demon.
We need to stop chasing ghosts and start chasing God.
Depending on what was chosen in life, spirits of the dead are locked in Heaven or Hades. The gulf prevents them from crossing over to the realm of the living. Therefore, ghosts are demons come to lure you into captivity to fear, curiosity, thrill, and idolatry. Don’t fall for it! Surrender the hunt for the dead and seek eternal life in the Word of God. You won’t regret it.
Cover Photo Credit: Pinterest
