Ghosts can be found in virtually every culture in every time period.[1] From the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh to the modern classic A Christmas Carol ghost stories have entertained millions of people throughout history. In 2006, the Barna Group published results from a nationwide study where they found that 73% of young people have “engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity, beyond mere media exposure or horoscope usage.” More than one-third of teenagers have used an Ouija board, one-tenth have been involved with séances, and nine percent have visited a medium or spiritual guide.

The study notes that it is common for teenagers to “cut and paste supernatural experiences and perspectives from a variety of sources – from the movies and books they read, from their experiences, from the Internet, from their peers and families, from any place they’re comfortable with.” This is, of course, a problem with adults as well.[2]

The Biblical Teaching

How are Christians supposed to respond to the idea of ghosts? Many Christians believe that ghosts are real. But is this the teaching of Scripture? First off, we need to define what we mean about ghosts. A ghost is the lingering spirit of a creature after death (especially humans).

To put it simply, Scripture never portrays people lingering on earth after they die. Instead, it teaches that believers go straight to be with the Lord in heaven upon dying (Luke 16:22-23; 23:43; and 2 Corinthians 5:8), and Luke 16:23 tells about the rich man going straight to hell. These passages teach us that after people die, they do not linger around on this planet anymore.

Believing that ghosts are real forces us to reject certain parts of Scripture, and this can cast serious doubt on the rest of the Bible. If the passages just mentioned cannot be trusted, then why should we trust other parts? If Scripture is wrong on lingering spirits, then how can a Christian trust it on heaven and hell?[3]

How do we explain what people are seeing?

So, how are we to explain what millions of people throughout history have seen? It would be easy just to say that all of these people are either lying, misinterpreting natural phenomena, or even hallucinating. No doubt these explanations can explain a lot of ghost sightings but is it possible that some people are seeing (or hearing) something? I believe that it is possible, and I believe there is a very good explanation biblically to what is going on.

Throughout the Bible, we hear about heavenly beings called angels. The Bible has much to say about angels, for example, 1) they are spirits, but they always appear to humans as physical men (Hebrews 1:14; Genesis 19:1; Luke 24:4) even to the point where they seem so real that we do not recognize them as being angels (Genesis 18:1-16; 19:5; Hebrews 13:2); 2) they are more powerful than men (2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Peter 2:11); 3) they can appear among and even interact with humans, even killing them (Genesis 16:9; 19:15; 1 Chronicles 21:15; Psalms 78:49; John 20:12). 2 Kings 19:35 even says that one angel, note only one, killed thousands of soldiers in one night; and 4) they are not to be worshipped (Romans 1:15; Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10).

In the New Testament, we find many different encounters with what the Bible calls demons, often equated with the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan. Acts 8:7 tells us of Philip preaching and “unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed.” Matthew 8:28-34 tells about two demon-possessed men who were so violent that no one could even pass by them. Jesus healed the men, and the demons went into a herd of pigs. Matthew 17:14-23 describes how Jesus healed a boy with a demon who would give the boy seizures and make him fall into the fire or the water. Matthew 12:22-28 teaches us that demons are governed by Satan. Bible scholar Charles Ryrie says:

“The very fact that demons can enter human or animal bodies shows they can pass through barriers that would restrict human beings…Demons are not humans; neither are they God. But they are superhuman with superior intelligence and experience and powers.”[4]

Researcher John Keel has noted that “The devil and his demons can, according to the literature [written throughout history], manifest themselves in almost any form and can physically imitate anything from angels to horrifying monsters with glowing eyes.”[5] Gary Bates notes:

“Although such occurrences are deceptive entities (fallen angels) manifesting from the spiritual realm, some might be surprised at their ability to manifest physically in our realm. This, once again, is due to a cultural idea about angels as being merely some sort of ethereal spirit (non-bodied) being and sometimes with fairy-type wings. The Bible indicates that angels are “ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14).[6]

These writers believe that what people see when they report a ghost is a demon. Scholar Ron Rhodes agrees with this by saying, “People sometimes genuinely encounter a spirit entity – though not a dead human. Some people encounter demonic spirits who may mimic dead people in order to deceive the living (see 1 John 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:1-3). Many who claim to have encountered such spirit entities have some prior involvement in the occult.”[7]

The idea that disembodied spirits of the dead roam the earth is not new. Occult manifestations have been around for thousands of years, and the Bible records occult practices being undertaken by Israel and Judah (this is one of the reasons why God had the Assyrians and Babylonians destroy Israel in Old Testament times). “Manifestations have often appeared in the guise of deceased persons and even dead relatives. It is a very powerful counterfeit, because it tugs on the emotional relationship and heartstrings of the person seeing the manifestation.”[8]

Because demons are the servants of Satan and the enemies of God, they have every reason to want to deceive a person – to cast doubt on God’s Word. Since the Bible teaches that humans do not stay on earth after death, but go straight to the present heaven or hell, then if someone sees a ghost, it can cast doubt on what the Bible teaches. Someone who sees a ghost may think: “The Bible teaches that ghosts are not dead people, but I just saw my great-grandmother’s ghost last week. So, the Bible must be false.”

As a side note, I want to make it clear that good angels would not appear to someone as a ghost. This would be deception, and deception is the expertise of Satan and his demons. Demons have a great interest in deceiving people so that few people will get into heaven. So don’t think for one moment that if you have seen a spirit then it was an angel – it would be a fallen angel (a demon), but not a good angel.

Problems with the demonic theory

Michael Patton, in a blog post titled “Do You Believe in Ghosts? The Christian View of the Paranormal,” lists a few potential problems with the idea that ghosts are always demons.

1) Many hauntings are said to be in places such as abandoned hospitals, towns, and the like. “These places are uninhabited and therefore do not seem suitable for a malicious demon to inhabit.”

2) Communication with ghosts is usually limited. “Shadows, moving objects, and faint voices [do] not seem effective toward the demonic agenda of confusion.”

3) We do not know where the present heaven and hell are.

4) Disembodied spirits of humans on the earth do not necessarily have to confuse the Christian worldview.

5) Certain features of hauntings (such as a child’s laughter and no personal engagement of the ghost) “seem to favor something other than a demonic spirit.”

6) The appearance of Samuel in 1 Samuel 28, and Elijah and Moses in Luke 9:29-33 shows us that believers can manifest themselves. Also, the disciples believed that Jesus was a ghost when he was walking on the water.

I am personally not convinced by these objections. Just because some hauntings are only a child’s laughter, shadows, or in limited places such as abandoned towns does not mean that they cannot be demons. Demons can, and will, try to confuse people about the afterlife in any way possible. In fact, only haunting an abandoned building will cause someone to think that it is not a demon (just like the blog post says), thus allowing for the possibility that the experiencer to question the Bible. Secondly, just because we do not know where the present heaven and hell are does not mean that the spirits of dead people are ghosts. Heaven and hell are not on Earth. Third, disembodied spirits of humans do confuse the Christian worldview as they go straight to God after death (Luke 16:22-23; 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 16:23).

What about Samuel, Elijah, Moses, and Jesus?

There are a few places in Scripture that relate to the issue of ghosts. They involve the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:7-21), Elijah and Moses (Luke 9:28-36), and Jesus (Mark 6:49) In Luke 9, Elijah and Moses make an appearance at Jesus’ transfiguration. Their appearance does not have anything to do with ghosts. Elijah and Moses’s appearance must have been physical in some way because Peter wanted to build a shelter for them (why would a ghost need a shelter?). Also, just because they appeared to Jesus does not mean that they can manifest themselves any time they want or that they linger on the earth. They appeared for a purpose – it was Jesus’ transfiguration.

1 Samuel 28:7-21 gives us an account of King Saul visiting a medium because he wanted her to summon the prophet Samuel from the grave. Samuel appears and causes the medium to cry out in fear. Does this passage show that a ghost of a person can come back from the dead or that spiritual mediums and witchcraft work?

Gary Bates notes that “if God has the ultimate power over our spirits, how can the witch call up a departed spirit? I believe this may have been allowed via a sovereign act of God as a mechanism of punishing and pronouncing judgment on a rebellious Saul….When one reads the passage, it is noteworthy that the witch herself was taken by surprise when she saw that it actually was Samuel.”[9]

He adds, “The story reflects the reality of falling from grace, and being out of God’s favor, by following one’s own desires instead of being obedient. Samuel did not give advice but pronounced the penalty for Saul’s disobedience, which in part including partaking in forbidden rituals. It is thus not something that affirms biblical support for the idea of ghosts.”[10]

It’s a ghost!

But did not the disciples believe in ghosts (Mark 6:49)? In different Bible translations, the words ‘ghost’ and ‘spirit’ are used interchangeably. This is where the reader can run into confusion. The King James Version uses the word ‘ghost’ extensively (“Holy Ghost,” for example, or “give up the ghost”), whereas more modern translations have used “spirit.” (“Holy Ghost” is now translated as “Holy Spirit.”) The change is a good one because the word “ghost” has changed its meaning over time. Culturally, in today’s world, “ghost” has the connotation of a wandering spirit of a dead person.[11]

But let’s assume for a second that the apostles thought he was a lingering spirit of a dead person. Does the fact that the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost mean that ghosts exist? Not necessarily. We must remember that the disciples had never seen anything like these events before (walking on the water and appearing to the disciples behind closed doors after the resurrection), so it is very likely that they resorted to explaining these events with ideas from their culture (which would have included ghosts).[12]

Bates makes an excellent point about the disciples referring to a ghost: “In fact, these are instances of the disciples failing to recognize Jesus’ divinity. Job 9:8 teaches that only God can tread on the waves, and after Jesus had just completed the feeding of the five thousand (which would have recalled God’s supernatural provision of manna for the Hebrews) they should have seen the significance of this miracle. So, even though the Gospels seem to indicate that the disciples believed in ghosts, Jesus’ followers are in any case not being presented as models for belief or obedience at that stage. In fact, they continually miss the point.”[13]

It is also possible that the disciples thought that they were seeing an angel or demon since angels are spirits (“ghosts” in the old meaning of the term).

Conclusion

There is no room in traditional, orthodox theology for departed spirits to be roaming the Earth. There is another explanation for what people have been experiencing throughout the ages – rebellious spirits known as demons that take advantage of people any chance that they get.[14] For these reasons, I do not think that Christians should believe that the ghost of a person wanders the Earth after death. The Bible teaches the opposite. If you ever see a ghost, you are not seeing a dead person’s spirit, but a demon, a follower of Satan.

[1] This essay was updated on October 31, 2023. (Previously updated on August 27, 2021 and July 22, 2022).

[2] https://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/164-new-research-explores-teenage-views-and-behavior-regarding-the-supernatural#.Ue7gfzXD_ug

[3] Rick Barry. “Do You Believe in Ghosts?” Answers 5:3, July-Sept. 2010: 33. Gary Bates. “Are Ghosts Real?” http://creation.com/are-ghosts-real

[4] Charles Ryrie. Basic Theology (Chicago: Moody, 1999), 186. Quoted in Barry, 33.

[5] John Keel, Operation Trojan Horse (Lilburn, GA: Illuminet Press, 1996 edition) 192. Quoted in Bates.

[6] Bates.

[7] Ron Rhodes. The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena (Eugene: Harvest House, 2006). Pg. 71. Quoted in Barry, 33.

[8] Bates.

[9] Ibid. Who Samuel was in these verses has resulted in two different interpretations. First, some think that God sent Samuel back to appear to Saul. Second, others note that it must have been a demon in disguise because Samuel prophesized something that never came to pass. The apparition warned Saul that all of Saul’s sons would die the very next day However, not all of Saul’s sons died (Barry, 33).

However, Bates disagrees that it was a demon in disguise. He bases this on the fact that “there is no biblical or other evidence that demons can foretell the future (although they often claim to be prophets via a variety of deceptive guises) and the prophecy about Samuel came to pass. Moreover, Samuel berates Saul for disobeying God in this way. Seeking after the dead is something that deceptive spirits would encourage, not admonish. And indeed, the next day, Saul’s army was routed and Saul committed suicide” (Bates). It should also be noted that verse 19 does not say that all of Saul’s sons would die.

[10] Bates.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.