Ghosts and the Bible  

Ghosts and spirits are one in the same - they are people on the other side of the grave...in the afterlife, if you will. They are common in scripture, if you look for them mentioned within the christian bible. One of the first verses that most are aware of is in I Samuel 28:15, where Saul has a medium, "call up" the prophet Samuel from the other side of the grave:

"And Samuel saith to Saul, Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?"

Most christians will bury their heads and come up with an excuse for this scripture that God allowed this for one occasion. Or fundamentalists (traditional christians) may say this wasn't a ghost but Samuel was resurrected back to life. Or they may even say that this wasn't Samuel at all, but a deception from the woman - a trick. Yet, the scripture is very clear that this was Samuel; and as Samuel had died and crossed over to the other side...that would make him a spirit or ghost. This passage should also plainly show that mediums can have contact with people on the other side. This medium, whom Saul used, saw many people on the other side, when she was calling up Samuel. One should also note in this verse, that Samuel had maintained his form of an old man wearing a mantel, just like many documented ghost sightings of apparitions, report the ghost to be dressed in "period dress" from their own time era, here on earth.

Moving into the christian new testament, we see Jesus having "appeared" to many after his resurrection. To "appear" indicates the idea of manifesting from the invisible to the visible, just as a spirit or ghost might manifest, from the spirit to the physical realm. It is interesting to note that he "appeared" to Simon (Luke 24:34); and he "appeared" to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9). Jesus "appeared" to two of his followers in a different form that was not recognizable to them. What? I mean they had a conversation with him and still didn't recognize Jesus physically! Yes, the scripture says:

Mark 16:12, "...to two of them, as they are going into a field, walking, he was manifested in another form."

He also "appeared" to the eleven disciples and stood in the midst of them during their conversation (Luke 24:36). Can you imagine that? He manifested right before their eyes from the realm of spirit. But what is interesting to note is Jesus' statement concerning their fear of him "appearing" right before their eyes:

Luke 24:39 "...handle me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having."

Well, at first blush, one might argue, hey, Jesus wasn't a spirit or ghost because he had flesh and bone. I would have to agree, but I might add that Jesus still was "appearing" like a ghost or spirit might do. Does flesh and bone "appear" out of thin air? However, the biggest point might be missed if one does not consider Jesus' statement further, about not being a spirit or ghost...he was in effect stating that spirits (ghosts) do exist, but that he was not like them!

This common belief in ghosts is found in another new testament passage, as well. You may remember Jesus walking on the water towards his disciples who were in a boat on the sea. The verse in Matthew 14:26 states:

"and the disciples having seen him walking upon the sea, were troubled saying, 'It is an apparition,' and from the fear they cried out."

Apparitions were obviously believed to exist and even by the followers of Jesus who were learning rapidly about the spirit realm from him. Other people obviously believed in ghosts during Jesus' time on earth, because they "appeared" in the city of Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection:

Matthew 27:52-53, "and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who have fallen asleep, arose; and having come forth out of the tombs after Jesus' rising, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."

The writer of Hebrews, (probably the apostle Paul) mentions the fact of spirits being all around us, in Hebrews 12:1,

"Therefore, we also having so great a cloud of witnesses set around us."

This to me, is confirmation of the spirit and physical realms co-existing with one another, but on different planes. It is a spiritual truth, that what exists here on earth, must first exist in the spirit realm; for spirit is the life-giving force behind all. And that spirit is God. God is life. The bible proclaims in the Lord's prayer,

"On earth (physical realm), as it is (first) in heaven (the realm of spirit)."

But there is one last bible passage I wish to share that many overlook that proves the manifestation of spirits from the spirit realm into this physical world. That verse can be found in Mark 9:4, in the famous Mount of Transfiguration passage:

"and there appeared to them, Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus."

Wow! This passage not only proves that spirits can manifest here, but it shows a very important spiritual truth, as well. Jesus spoke with people on the other side of the grave. Therefore, those on the other side of the grave can speak to us! The religious will try and explain this passage away; but the fact remains, it is not only possible for ghosts to exist, but Jesus, who is to be our example, shows us some spirits communicate with us! Why did Jesus choose only to reveal this truth to James, John and Peter? To us, this truth has been spoken against by traditional christian doctrine for years. Yet, Jesus felt it important enough to reveal to these three disciples what was really going on "behind the scenes." Jesus seemed to understand quite a lot about what was going on "behind the veil" of this physical world. Perhaps, we should follow his example and not fear ghosts; but seek to understand the truth of the spirit realm.

About the Author

LC Duplain publishes several websites of spiritual interest, mainly Angels & Ghosts.