Don’t Play With Ghosts, Witchcraft Or Mediums

DON’T PLAY WITH GHOSTS, WITCHCRAFT OR MEDIUMS

Deut. 18:9-12

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. This reminds me of the two old baseball players, Abe and Jake, who made a deal. Whichever one died first, he would come back and tell the other guy if there's baseball in Heaven.

2. A few months later, poor Abe passed on. Soon afterward, Jake sat in the park feeding the pigeons and heard a voice whisper, "Jake... Jake..."

3. Jake responds, "Abe! Is that you?" "Yes it’s me!" Jake asks, "So, is there baseball in Heaven?"

4. "Well," says Abe, "I've got good news and bad news." "Gimme the good news first," says Jake. Abe says, "Well, there is baseball in Heaven."

5. Jake says, "That's great! So what’s the bad news?" Abe sighs and whispers, "You're pitching on tomorrow!"

B. DEFINITION: “Ghosts” -In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost or specter, phantom, or apparition is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. (Wikipedia)

C. MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

1. “When the disciples saw him [Jesus] walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear” Matt. 14:26. Also Mark 6:49 and Luke 24:37.

2. After Christ’s resurrection, He had them touch Him to convince them that He was not a ghost; “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Luke 24:39

D. THE SPIRITUAL REALM IS REAL

1. There is a spiritual realm. Some can see it and others can't. This is very clear in the story of Elisha and his servant.

2. “Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” 2 Kgs. 6:14-17. They were angelic.

I. DIFF. BTW ANGELS & HUMAN SPIRITS

Angels and spirits are real. “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.” Acts 23:8. Paul confessed he was a Pharisee, vs. 6.

A. ANGELIC SPIRITS

1. There is a difference between angels and human spirits. The Angels are a finite number and were created at the beginning of creation.

2. They observed the creation of the Earth and the universe and, I suppose, the creation of human beings.

3. According to the book of Hebrews, angels are "spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation" Hebrews 1:14.

B. HUMAN SPIRITS

1. Humans spirits, however, were not all created at one time, nor is there a limited number that is not increasing, like Angels.

2. Instead, the human spirit is formed within the physical body while it is in formation in the mothers womb, Zech. 12:1; "Who forms ("fashions", Mal. 2:10) the spirit of man within him."

3. So in the Garden of Eden there were only 2 human spirits; now there are billions! One similarity with Angels is that our spirit lives forever, in heaven or hell.

II. DISCUSSION ON SPIRITUAL MIGRATION

There are at least three different spirits in existence which could be interpreted as ghosts: spirits of Angels, spirits of humans, and spirits of animals.

A. MIGRATION OF ANGELIC SPIRITS

1. 1/3 of the Angels fell, following Satan into sin. They were "cast out" of heaven, imprisoned in the abyss or Tartarus, or degenerated into demons.

2. Evidently these demons roam freely in the earthly sphere and can possess individuals who are not safeguarded by covenant, or who open themselves up to demonic activity, or who become slaves to sin.

3. This might be one of the reasons why Paul calls Satan the Prince of the principality of the air.

4. So demon spirits are allowed to migrate around the unsanctified zones of the Earth. Undoubtedly they can’t come near nor would they desire to come near, the righteous or the wholesome; but only near that which is unclean and spiritually corrupted. (1 Jn. 4:4; 5:18).

B. MIGRATION OF HUMAN SPIRITS

1. Paul stated that “to be absent from the body, [is] to be present with the Lord” 2 Cor. 5:8.

2. According to Ecclesiastes 12:7, the human spirit "returns to God who gave it," that is, to God to dispose of it as He sees fit.