I See Dead People: God, the Bible, and Ghosts (Part 2)
Today we are going to continue with the subject that we began last week in time for Halloween. It was the topic of ghosts. What are they? Why do they interact with the living? Are they really the spirits of the dead? We looked in the Bible to see what truths God has given us and then we used our own logic to try to understand what is really happening when people say they have seen or talked to ghosts or spirits of the dead.
We discussed the fact that the Bible supports the idea that ghosts are indeed the spirits of persons whom have died. But when it came to the world’s idea of what a ghost is, namely the spirit of a dead person who haunts the living, I showed you that the Bible does not agree with this assessment.
Isaiah 26:14 tells us that, “They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise….” The Bible tells us that the ghosts or spirits of people who have died are located in one of two places. They are either in hell awaiting their Day of Judgment at the Great White Throne. Or they are in the presence of their Savior, Jesus Christ, in heaven.
Scripture does not support the idea that the dead can easily or readily return to interact with the living of their own will. They just don’t decide that they have a message to bring to the living or that they will hang around because they have unfinished business. Once a person dies, there is no unfinished business. You can’t change your eternal status after you die. That must be taken care of before you die.
And then in Luke 16:19-31, we saw a little more about the distinction between the spirits of the righteous dead and the spirits of the wicked dead in the story Jesus told about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Both men died and Lazarus was escorted to Paradise and the rich man to hell. From this story we saw that the ghosts of the wicked dead could not return to haunt or speak or interact with living even if they wanted to. And we also saw that though it appears that the righteous dead can return and interact with the living they are not necessarily allowed to.
Finally, from there we went on to see that since the apparitions and spirits that people claim to see and talk to, or are haunted by, are not actually the spirits of those who have died, then they had to be either angels or evil spirits. And we came to the conclusion that they were evil familiar spirits. Now that’s just a brief overview of what we talked about last week. If you weren’t here and would like a copy of this teaching, I have placed some on the vestibule table for your convenience.
Today we are going to take a look at one instance in the Bible where the living and the dead did interact. We’re going to see if there are any plausible reasons why God would allow the spirits of the dead to speak to the living. And finally, we’ll look at some suggestions to help you judge whether a spirit is a ghost or an evil spirit.
I. Saul and the Witch of Endor
First let’s look at an instance that takes place in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel 28. You may be somewhat familiar with this passage as it deals with King Saul and his attempts to contact the dead through a witch or medium from Endor.
Let’s read together 1 Samuel 28:5-20, “When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. [6] He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. [7] Saul then said to his attendants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.’ ‘There is one in Endor,’ they said. [8] So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. ‘Consult a spirit for me,’ he said, ‘and bring up for me the one I name.’ [9] But the woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?’ [10] Saul swore to her by the Lord, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.’ [11] Then the woman asked, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’ ‘Bring up Samuel,’ he said. [12] When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, ‘Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!’ [13] The king said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. What do you see?’ The woman said, ‘I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.’ [14] ‘What does he look like?’ he asked. ‘An old man wearing a robe is coming up,’ she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. [15] Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ ‘I am in great distress,’ Saul said. ‘The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.’ [16] Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy? [17] The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors – to David. [18] Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. [19] The Lord will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.’ [20] Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words…”
This event takes place at the end of King Saul’s reign and his life. Because of his disobedience to God, the Lord is allowing the Philistines to defeat and kill him in battle. He is removing the kingdom from Saul’s lineage and giving it into the hands of David.
In 1 Samuel 16 God told Saul He would do this because of his disobedience. But when Saul sees the mighty Philistines advancing against him he tries to inquire of the Lord what to do and receives no answer. The reason God doesn’t respond is because He has already told Saul what was happening and why. Saul however, was afraid and not satisfied with God’s silence so he did something that was strictly forbidden by God – he consulted a medium or psychic. He wanted to contact the dead prophet Samuel to find the answer he wanted.
Now, notice the Bible tells us that the ghost of Samuel did indeed rise from the dead and speak to the living. So, this begs the question, doesn’t this prove that the ghosts of the dead can and do interact with the living? Well, I’ll give you a clear answer – Yes and No.
A. The Ghost of A Righteous Man
First, let’s look at some of the facts surrounding this story. Remember last week we said that the spirits of the wicked dead could NOT speak with the living because they are confined in hell. But the spirits of the righteous dead are not confined. Therefore, it appears that they ARE able to interact with the living. This Old Testament event confirms that fact. That the ghosts of only the righteous dead are able to speak to the living. Notice that it is the ghost of Samuel, a righteous prophet of God, who makes an appearance here.
B. Mediums Don’t Speak To Real Ghosts
Second, we said that when a medium or psychic says that they are speaking with the dead they are actually in contact with evil spirits called familiar or seducing spirits. That is why trying to contact the dead is strictly forbidden and punishable by death in the Old Testament (Leviticus 20). This story confirms that fact as well.
The medium or witch who was used to speaking with one or more familiar spirits was totally surprised when the real ghost of Samuel actually appeared before her. She wasn’t expecting to actually see him. She was terrified and cried out to Saul that he had tricked her. This tells us that Samuel’s appearance had absolutely nothing to do with her supposed psychic powers or ability to speak with spirits.
C. Confirmation of God’s Will
And finally, we notice that since the medium had nothing to do with Samuel’s appearance, his presence must have been with God’s permission and for a specific purpose. Samuel appeared to confirm God’s will upon Saul’s life. He did not bring any new prophetic information. He did not bring a secret piece of information to guide Saul in defeating the enemy. He did not try to comfort or console Saul. He simply stated what Saul already knew, but was unwilling to believe – that God had turned His back on Him and was taking the kingdom of Israel away because of his disobedience.
So, in this one instance I would have to say that the ghost of a righteous man was allowed to speak with the living for the specific purpose of confirming God’s will upon his life. However, this does NOT mean that the spirits of the righteous dead can return and interact with the living at any time and for any reason whatsoever. It simply gives one instance in which it was allowed.
II. Why Would They Speak To Us?
Now, while studying this topic in preparation for this teaching I realized that maybe more importantly than answering the question, “Can the ghosts of the dead speak to the living?” would be answering the question, “Why would they speak to us?”
We know that most, if not all, of the spirits that people call ghosts are actually evil familiar spirits who impersonate the dead when speaking to the living. But we also know that it is possible for the spirits of the righteous dead to contact the living though they are usually not allowed to do so. Samuel, after all was allowed to speak to Saul. But as we’ve noted, he did so with a specific purpose.
So, if God were to allow the righteous dead to speak to us, I’d think that it would also have to be with a specific purpose in mind. The Bible doesn’t support the idea that the dead are just out there contacting the living whenever they feel like it. So if the righteous dead are speaking to the living on occasion, that begs the question, why would they? For what purpose would God allow them to do so?
Trying to recall what I’ve heard, or read, or seen about people who say they have spoken with the dead, I came up with a short list of possible reasons why the dead would be allowed to speak to us, and then I compared it to Scripture to see if these reasons are plausible. (This is by no means an exhaustible list.)
A. Comfort and Guidance
Some people claim that when they speak to the ghosts of the dead they receive comfort and guidance. The spirit encourages them or comforts them during a difficult time in their lives. They don’t feel so alone or insignificant. They receive assurances of God’s love for them. Or maybe they even receive instructions or guidance about a problem they are facing, or an answer to a question.
This seems like a good reason for the dead to interact with the living. Comfort and guidance are positive needs that we all have. It sounds reasonable that a loving God may allow the spirit of a righteous person to speak with the living in order to bring them comfort and guidance, right? Well, let’s see what the Bible says.
2 Corinthians 2:3-4 (AMP), “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement). [4] Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction)…”
John 15:26 (AMP), “But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me.”
These two passages tell us clearly Who it is that has the job of being our Comforter, Counselor, and Guide. God the Father and Holy Spirit are the ones who we should look to for comfort and guidance, not the spirits of the dead. When we think that the purpose of the dead speaking to us is to offer us these things, then we are attributing the work of God to His creation. We are looking for something from a ghost that only God Himself can provide for us.
This fact leads me to conclude that those who speak to the dead for these reasons are fooling themselves or are being deceived by evil spirits, because God would not send someone or something else to do His job for Him. He would have no need to. Furthermore, if we seek to fulfill these needs by communing with the dead, we are practicing idolatry and prostituting ourselves by fulfilling our needs with something else other than God. So, NO I do not believe God would send the spirits of the righteous dead to the living in order to bring us comfort or guidance.
B. Prophecy
Let’s look at another possibility for God sending the dead to speak to the living - and that is prophecy. Some people say that the spirits bring them news of the future. They warn them of upcoming calamities or positive outcomes. The Bible is filled with prophecies that God gave to men. Could this be a reason for God allowing spirits to speak with the living? Could He be revealing the future to His children for their benefit?
It certainly sounds plausable. But reason with me a moment here. The Bible is God’s revelation of His plan to mankind from beginning to end. I don’t know the exact amount, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that at least half if not more of its content are prophecies that tell us what is going to happen in the future. I guess that when I look at all the information that God has provided for us I have to ask the question, would God have left anything out? Would there be a reason for Him to add to what He has already said by sending a ghost to living to reveal it? I couldn’t think of one. And in fact Revelation 22:18-19 (NIV), “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. [19] And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
Again, I don’t believe that God would send the spirits of the righteous dead to speak to the living to reveal prophecy or foretell the future for the simple reason that He has already revealed it to us in His Word. We have no need of further revelations. Beware the evil one who would like nothing more than to have us believe that there is some new information that God is revealing to us so that he can gain a foothold into our lives and thoughts.
C. Justice
Another reason people believe that God may allow the spirits of the righteous dead to speak to the living would be for the purpose of seeing justice fulfilled. When someone’s life is tragically taken from them sometimes we think that their spirit and soul cannot find rest until justice has been found, the perpetrator caught, or the facts of the situation brought to light. It’s the idea that these souls have “unfinished business” so they are communicating with the living in order to find peace.
Could this be a reason for God allowing communication between the living and the dead? Wanting to see justice done seems like a pretty good reason. After all, the Bible talks about judgment and our sins being brought to light and punishment being meted out on the unrepentant. Would He see to it that those who are guilty of a crime be caught by sending the spirits of the righteous dead back to speak to the living?
Again, I think the answer is a pretty clear NO. Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Isaiah 34:8, “For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution…” Jeremiah 51:56, “For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.”
We live in a fallen world where evil is allowed to work and affect the lives of the righteous as well as the unrighteous. This means that there will be occasions when bad things happen. But God never promises that justice will be met this side of heaven. He never says that He will right all the wrongs on earth. He says that He will repay in full on judgment day. Isaiah calls it a day of vengeance. It is not our job to seek revenge or justice for a wrong; it’s God’s. And we can rest in the assurance that He will see to it. We don’t need to talk to the dead in order to see justice done.
Now you may be able to think of some other reasons that sound plausible for why God might allow communication between the righteous dead and the living. And if you do and would like to talk about them or explore them with me, I’d be happy to do so. I thought of a few others myself, but in each case, just like with the three we mentioned, I found that the Bible does not support them as valid reasons for God allowing the dead to speak to the living.
So, while it is possible for the righteous dead to interact with us, there doesn’t appear to be a valid reason for why they would be allowed to do so. We have the very Spirit of God living and working within each and every believer that imparts the will and mind of God to us, who helps us interpret the prophecies written in the Scriptures, who comforts and guides us in all things.
1 Corinthians 2:12, “We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” In John 16:15 Jesus tells the disciples that, “All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”
We have no need of the dead or their messages or comfort or whatever. So be very wary if you have an encounter with a spirit or someone else who has. As it says in 1 John 4:1, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” And in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test everything. Hold on to the good.”
III. Testing the Spirits
And finally, I want to real quickly go over some suggestions I have for you about how to test the spirits to see whether or not they are from God. Each experience or situation must be judged on an individual basis. There is not a formula that you can hold up and say, “well this is what happened here, but something else happened here.” You must have spiritual discernment, Biblical knowledge of the Truth, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in order to understand things of a spiritual nature. But having said that, I want to give you some questions to ask and some things to do and keep in mind should you ever need to test the spirits.
A. Questions to Ask
Like with anything you are trying to learn or understand you need facts or information in order to rightly judge a situation or experience. In order to gain the information you need, you will probably have to ask questions. Here are some important ones.
1. What do you know about the person who had the experience? If you weren’t the one who saw or spoke to or heard from a spirit, what do you know about the one who did? Are they born again Christians? Do they dabble in other religions or the occult? How serious are they in their relationship with Christ? How often to they claim to have these experiences? Could something else have triggered this experience likes drugs or hypnosis?
2. What do you know about the dead person being impersonated? If someone tells you that they have heard from the ghost of a dead person find out what you can about what that person was like when they were alive. Were they Christians? What kind of Christians were they? Did they dabble in other religions or the occult? Etc.
3. What was the result of this experience in both the physical and spiritual lives of those involved? Even if those who spoke to the dead had a positive experience find out what other results these experiences may have had on not only the person who spoke to the dead but the lives of others involved. Maybe a criminal was brought to justice because a medium spoke to the supposed spirit of the victim and was able to garner information that helped police catch them. But what about the life of the medium? What kind of effect do these readings have on their beliefs, their salvation? Do they profess Christ as the Son of God? Do their experiences lead them into a closer relationship with God? Do they lead other people away from putting their trust in God?
All of these are valid questions to ask. The answers to them will help you determine whether a person is speaking to the actual ghost of a righteous person, (which is highly unlikely), or if they are being deceived by evil familiar spirits.
B. Ask God for Discernment
Another thing to do if you are faced with having to test the spirits is to ask God for the spiritual discernment you need to make a right judgment. God knows the truth of every matter. Why not go to the source of truth in order to determine the truth? He will not keep it hidden from you if you truly and honestly seek the Truth. He has already given you His Spirit, and His Word, and His anointing, and His secret wisdom, and even His mind so that you can know the Truth.
1 Corinthians 2:16, “But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 John 2:20, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.” 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not of the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. [7] No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”
C. Study To Show Thyself Approved
And finally Paul exhorts us in 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV), “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. If you really want to know the truth of a situation then you need to know what the Bible says about it. And you can’t know what the Bible says about any given situation if you don’t study it. You’ve got the answers to all of life’s questions right at your fingertips. You can test the spirits and know the truth by opening His Word and reading His answers.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NIV), “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from who you learned it, [15] and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Don’t be deceived because you haven’t done your homework.
I hope you have enjoyed this short teaching on ghosts. If you have questions that I didn’t answer please feel free to talk to me about them. I’ll do my best to find an answer for you. There are copies of this teaching available on the vestibule table for you as well.
