Ghosts are typically a taboo topic in many forms of Christianity. Are ghosts and spirits in the Bible? How do ghosts and spirits interact with the living?
The following Christianity and ghosts discussion originally appeared on our message board, Spiritual Mansion. The discussion is rather interesting, as it speaks of spirits of people entering in us; so I have posted most all of the Christianity ~ Ghost Discussion...enjoy!
SpiritualMansion Avers:
Fundamental, traditional christianity does not allow at all for the existence of ghosts because of its' fear-based doctrines, which divide mankind - one from another. Teaching both a place of the eternally damned called, "hell;" and a place of eternal bliss for the good called, "heaven," the christian religion attempts to place all earthly departed souls in one of these two after-life worlds.
If we consider Jesus' message contained in the Bible, rather than man's religious ideas created after the passing of his ministry, we should see he taught the realm of spirit (or spiritual world) to co-exist with this physical world. All of us exist in the realm of spirit and that realm is the life-giving force of all - in all and through all that is...and is everywhere. Scripture says, "We live, move and have our being in Him (God)." Call that spirit God: the sum of all the parts, perhaps? In that context, your soul and my soul (and all souls) would be participating in the unseen realm of the spirit (a different dimension) and the physical world we know, at the same time; while we seem to only be able to identify with this physical realm. It is like being in a room with a two-way mirror. We think only those in the same room with us can see our actions, but are not aware of the audience we may have on the other side of the mirror. Hence, I am participating in both worlds, but only aware of the one in which I am able to see. In Hebrews it states, "We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses." This perhaps would explain how others on the other side would be able to see us and speak to us; yet we may not be aware of their presence...yet, they are with us just the same...interacting with this realm at times. Maybe, they feed us some of the thoughts we think, and we think those thoughts and call them our own. Therefore, scripturally speaking, the existence of ghosts and the paranormal manifesting within this earthly realm is quite possible.
JehovahSavesTheAnointedOnes Replied:
The Cloud of Witnesses... this is going to be deep and juicy.
Start in Luke 23:43-46 then go to Matthew 27:52-53, then go to Hebrews 12:1-2,22-23
First of all, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are the same Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the holy city, New Jerusalem. This is not in the nation of Israel (in the middle east). Go to (I know the "scary" book) Revelation 21:1-3. Read these passages and follow on.
Spirits, ghosts are disembodied entities; as such, these spirits desire again to embodied. Prior to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ the Father dwelt in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The spirits of just men were the saints of the old covenant who righteous because of their faith. (Hebrews chap. 11) did not enter into rest (which is the Holy City New Jerusalem), because the provision was not yet made until Christ.
When Christ declared "it is finished" and gave up the ghost...the temple in Jerusalem ceased to be the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. In the resurrection and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, those spirits of just men were made perfect by entering into the Holy City ~ New Jerusalem. We are that Holy City. They without us, could not enter in. So what am I saying? When saints depart to the "other" side, they enter into us. That's pretty heavy stuff. So, in the unseen world of spirits there those demonic forces who have the same desire to be embodied. Also there appears to be spirits who are displaced and manifest themselves in a manner which we can sense and/or see. They also desire to be embodied, but as far as I understand they are not willing to go, or have lost their way, or need to be released to go. I am not by any means an authority on ghostly manifestations seen, felt or heard, since I personally have not delved into the subject in depth.
I will tell you this, many years ago the Apostle Paul stepped out of the spirit realm to give me a revelation on an epistle he wrote. I did not see him in the physical realm, however his presence was there,I heard his voice and I knew it was him.
This much I do know is that the place our fellow saints enter into is in us. There they rest, and minister to the Father and at times to us. God Bless...
AngelGirl Responds:
This is a deep conversation. The "two way mirror" is a very interesting concept, one that I have never considered before but does make sense as spirits are all around us. The messages we receive from spirits/ God/ why do they want to contact us with their messages? Is automatic writing coming from God/ Spirits? I left a question on this same board regarding a message i received from my grandfather in which I didn't understand. CJM left me a link on the board and it was about automatic writing and the messages coming from God/ Spirits. This subject that SM started relates to this also. I never considered the thoughts & messages I have received over the years to have come from God...or spirits. I just know that messages I have received in the past didn't come from me. In fact I didn't know or understand where they came from. Is God working through us to pass on information, because he wants us to know & believe that there is another side? Is it because so many people in the world do not believe in a God...the other side and/or in the Bible (as it was written by man), so God gives us the information to pass on to others? Or is it a combination of the two? Even if the messages a person receives is not of a religious nature, but messages for a friend regarding their friends life, what is the purpose of that?
Example: A friend speaks to me about her failure of finding a man. I then start to receive pictures and information about a man with whom she will meet...I then feel the need to write everything down - I see his face, his name, what he's wearing upon their meeting, etc..details in which are in fact coming from somewhere else; what is the purpose of seeing something that is going to happen in another person's life? Is that just a facet of automatic writing in which eventually the real reason for it happening will come to pass? It is God's way of saying, "Here is what I am giving you, so that later on more will come relating to more specific matters that will be of greater use?"
SpiritualMansion Replies:
Some of this may be coming also due to us sharing one, corporate mind...I see mind as spirit; thoughts as spirit...heaven as the realm of thoughts or spirit...we all live, move and have our being in Him...Spirit...one mind, one purpose...??
JayMeister Responds:
This is really an interesting thread.
My thoughts on this are that all of us are collectively One, which I believe is the Christ - or the perfect Son of God. And since we are one with each other and one with God, everything we create is shared with the whole and to God. Our minds activate thoughts of the spirit. And our spirit is the part of us that remains in contact with God. Therefore, thoughts of God and thoughts of us occur in the mind. But thought is always an indication that the ego is still at work, because it is based on understanding things through contrasts (good vs. evil, love vs. fear, etc.). The ego is the collection of thoughts of ourselves that are false and therefore not real (eternal). The ego always views our “self” as separate from others. This identification is not correct, because in truth none of us are separate - we are one.
And just like we can have thoughts of separation, we can have thoughts of oneness and unity. But the Mind of God in us is always connected with what is true and eternal. At times, it appears to be forgotten or silenced because it is veiled by the false thoughts of the ego - e.g. separation, anger, hatred, and even false joy and happiness. But knowledge of the truth, which cannot be conveyed via words but can only be experienced, is different than thought. It proceeds from the Spirit and penetrates the mind, and generates action. Truth in action is what the man known as Jesus displayed, thus showing us "the way" to salvation from our own false creations - or thoughts about ourselves that are not true and therefore keep us from peace. And he became the “Christ” when he ceased to be in a body, ascending to the Father in Spirit. And the Mind of “Christ”, the same Mind that governed the actions of the man Jesus, is our Savior because it stills helps us escape from the nightmares of separation our ego has created, which are not true. This “help” is what we offer each other, whether we are still in a body or disconnected from one. And there are many helpers given to us, and we help many we physically see as well as many we don’t physically see.
I believe ghosts are disembodied spirits who are either helpers (those connected with truth, in part or in whole) or trapped (those who continue to believe the ego's lies and are therefore seeking help from us). And those who are trapped are not really trapped; they merely believe they are trapped. And so they are trapped only by their own illusions, which are not real. And what we create, true or false, is always offered to the Father and thus to them. False creations are not fitting because they are not given in love. True creations are fitting because they proceed from love, being the essence of truth.
And since we are all one, we are either helping others or are in need of help from others. And until all recognize their true identity in Oneness, peace, and love, and that the concept of “need” itself is false, the process will continue until only wholeness is recognized, for only that is true.
And so we help each other undo the illusions we have created. For until all falseness is undone and the Son sees Himself as He really is - One with all - the process will continue. And when the Son decides that all illusions are to be let go of, time will end for it no longer is necessary, and we will be as we really are.
These are just my thoughts.
SpiritualMansion Replies:
It is interesting you write of Christ as being the "oneness of all." I will put in bold what I wrote even today. And so I posted this earlier, elsewhere:
The blood of Jesus represents the "connectedness" of us all. When we look at "bloodlines," blood physically represents a spiritual truth of us all being connected, and "ONE." When blood is traced, all of us are connected; and so are we spiritually; therefore, "the life is in the blood." As Jesus' life was taken, his blood was spilled. This openly showed that when the connectedness with each other and God was removed, the (corporate) body was lifeless or "dead." When the blood was poured forth, it is a reminder however, that we are not separate. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Without the showing forth of our connectedness, there is no forgetting of the illusion of separation from God and each other.
I cannot help but feel that our knowing the truth of our connectedness or "oneness" with each other and God is the key to freedom; and key to the healing of self-created separation (or sin) within our minds. Realizing that those who we call "on the other side" are really not separate; but truly a part of us and what is going on within all...
JehovahSavesTheAnointedOnes Replies:
The Scripture that comes into my mind is that the carnal mind is emnity against God. The emnity alludes to "being diametrically opposed to the purposes of," therefore the carnal mind (the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life) is irreconcilable to the purposes of God. What is the mind of Christ? "let this mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ who thought not robbery to consider himself equal with God but took upon himself the form of a servant and humbled himself." What also comes into mind is that he made his angels spirit and his ministers a flame of fire. In the spirit realm we are the seraphim, there are seraphim on this side and there are seraphim on the other side. Angels are messengers ~ we carry the message of the Kingdom. Going back to my previous comments that Kingdom of God and Heaven is within us and that spirits of just men made perfect. If we are the New Jerusalem (and we are) and those spirits went into the city that really speaks of the "oneness" that you spoke about. God Bless...