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Date Posted: Friday, September 20, 02:19:02 GMT-4
Author: matt christian
Subject: christian understanding of ghosts

The biblical understanding of ghosts is interesting. Jesus used the word ghost. In (luke 24:39) after Jesus resurrection he said he had flesh and bones and was not a ghost. The bible teaches an "intermediate" state in heaven after death before the resurrection for a christian. (Phillipians 1:21-24) (luke 23:43) (2 corinthians 5) are just a few examples. The final mode of afterlife existence is the resurrection at Jesus second coming (1 corinthians 15) ( 1 thessalonians 4:13-17). Christians get an immortal body just like that of Jesus at the second coming, both the dead and living do. . Now this is wild. (1 thessalonians 4:17) says living christians at the time of Jesus second coming will NEVER DIE. The christian dead rise first and then living believers at that time get an immortal body without dying if they are alive at The second coming! Some will never die according to the bible.
The biblical understanding of the afterlife is interesting. First Jesus taught an afterlife all over the place (matthew 22: 30-32) (john 6:39) (luke 23:43). If you notice the luke material shows an afterlife in paradise right after death for a believer. Then at the second coming is the resurrection (1 corinthians 15). (luke 23:43) is describing a spirit life before the resurrection. After someone believes and is saved by having sins taken off and paid for by Jesus he is forgiven by God and saved by grace through faith in Jesus as savior ( ephesians 2: 8-9). Then this great life and afterlife begins. Spirit life is possible. God is spirit (john 4:24). Angels are spirit beings. Christians have heaven as a home to look forward to then a resurrection. Jesus was raised, so are christians.
So where do ghosts fit into this. They are spirit beings. Many christians have believed they are either demonic and masquerade as human or are angelic. Evangeicals think they are usually demonic and not human because humans are fixed in the afterlife and dont come back to earth until the resurrection. They site (Luke 16: 19-31). Here in verse 26 the rich man was "stuck." The verse says of the rich man in the afterlife "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."
However the bible describes three dead humans who did come back to earth before the resurrection. ( 1 samuel 28: 1-25). It says in verse 13 " I see a spirit coming up out of the ground" verse 14 it was samuel. The bible is against people trying to contact the dead, but here it happened anyway. What if you run into a ghost and you are not looking for it? The other two people to come back in the bible was Moses and elijah at Jesus transfiguration (matthew 17:3) says " just then appeared before them Moses and elijah, talking with Jesus." Moses had been dead over a thousand years and elijah many centuries.
I think the vast majority of ghost are therefore angelic because they are spirit beings to begin with. I dont know if some are human. The bible teaches heaven sees what is going on here on earth. Look carefully at (Hebrews 12:1)it says "we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses"
People are made in Gods image and have a spirit and soul. This immaterial aspect is the will, intellect, emotions, knowing right from wrong. The mind isnt matter only. Atoms cant know good or evil. The soul is released at death. Jesus taught an afterlife and he had to be right because he said he was God (john 8:58) (john 14:9). There is an afterlife! Jesus said God is "not the God of the dead but of the living" (matthew 22:32). So the dead are alive to God, Jesus was talking of abraham, Isaac, and jacob, they had been dead for centuries when Jesus said that and yet they are alive to God.
The bible teaches an afterlife all over the place (John 11:25-26) ( revelation 20:4) (Acts 7:54-60) and other examples cpould be given. (hebrews 11:4) says ..."cain still speaks, even though he is dead."
Christians accept ghosts as real in all this. But most are no doubt from the angel world, being spirit beings. Angels have been on earth many times as recorded in the bible. Angels were even at the empty tomb after Jesus resurrection. The christian dead go to heaven after death and waith the resurrection at the second coming (1 corinthians 15) ( 1 thessalonians 4). Can any humans take a look at earth activity before the resurrection, I think yes. The bible says "heaven rejoices over a sinner that repents" (luke 15:7) Yes heaven knows what is happening on earth. But do ghosts represent angels all the time or are some human. I find this a very hard question to answer from the bible. Most are angelic I believe. I just dont know if any are human. If so it may be rare.

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