Ghosts and the bible.

[Frank Goad]

What does the bible say about ghosts?What mindset should you have about them?Are they real?

 

[YmirGF]

What does the bible say about ghosts?

Beats me. Does it matter? What do you think or what have you read?

What mindset should you have about them?

I don't quite understand the question, but perhaps to maintain a healthy skepticism is a handy tool.

Are they real?

Having never encountered one, I could not say. What do you think?

 

[Frank Goad]

I think the bible has the say so on everything about ghosts.So i want to base my beliefs on what the bible says.

 

[YmirGF]

I think the bible has the say so on everything about ghosts.So i want to base my beliefs on what the bible says.

So, what does it say? Help me out here, man!

 

[Frank Goad]

It talks about the prophet samuel coming back as a ghost.But that might have been a demon.I don't know.What do you think?I think it was samuel because of 1 samuel 28:15 kjv says it was him.

 

[savagewind]

Ghosts are spirits that live on without a physical body. I think that if you can't believe in ghosts then you can't believe in The Holy Spirit.

 

[Deeje]

I think the bible has the say so on everything about ghosts.So i want to base my beliefs on what the bible says.

You can't go wrong by going to the Bible for answers. But what the Bible says about ghosts is not what most people think. The devil plays on our curiosity......you know, the one that killed the cat.

It talks about the prophet samuel coming back as a ghost.But that might have been a demon.I don't know.What do you think?I think it was samuel because of 1 samuel 28:15 kjv says it was him.

That account, is interesting if you read what it actually says. (1Samuel 28:6-16)

King Saul had disobeyed his God and had lost his favour. He had desperately tried to get God's living prophets to talk to him, because he was under threat from the Philistines....but they refused as God's spirit directed them.

Part of God's instructions to Israel when entering the Promised Land was to clear out all the spiritism practised by the Canaanites, which included getting rid of the spirit mediums.

One had apparently remained in secret and Saul found out about it. Under cover, he consulted this medium in the hope of getting some instruction and direction from the now dead Samuel.

Can you imagine why God would approve of Saul consulting a spirit medium, supposedly banned by Law, (Deuteronomy 18:9-12) bringing up a dead prophet when the living ones would not speak to him?
Add to that the fact that the Jews at that time did not believe in immortality of the soul, so all spirits would have been seen as demons.
The good spirits (angels) always materialised so that God's servants would not be fooled. Demons were prevented from materialising after the flood.

Only the medium could see this 'spirit' and hear what it spoke, so it appears to have been a demon impersonating Samuel to a desperate and confused king who had lost the plot and his relationship with his God. He was breaking God's law, so what does that tell you?

 

[savagewind]

@Deeje Angels are spirits. Are they not?

 

[Axe Elf]

It's a good thing that clothing has an afterlife, or all ghosts would be naked.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

God told the Israelites to avoid “talking with the dead.” Also, to avoid ‘magic and fortunetelling’ in the same passage. Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

Do you have an idea why?

If “God is love”(1 John 4:8), and I believe He is, why would God not want us talking with our dead loved ones?