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Date Posted: Saturday, September 21, 08:20:12 GMT-4
Author: matt christian footnote
Subject: Re: christian understanding of ghosts
In reply to: matt christian 's message, "christian understanding of ghosts" on Friday, September 20, 02:19:02 GMT-4

>
Four quick notes on the afterlife.
1. Elijah never died but was translated. Something that will happen to believers at the second coming ( 1 thessalonians 4:17) ( 1 corinthians 15:51).
2. Angels being mistaken for human ghosts is possible. ( matthew 18:10) says guardian angels exist and overlook people, and they are "angels in heaven that always see the face of my Father in Heaven."
3. Paul had a "heavenly" vision possibly "out of body" he records in ( 2 corinthians 12:1-4).
4. Gods love made Him give eternal life ( john 3:16)

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 never died but was translated.
>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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