Things That Go Bump...In The Night!

[whirlwind]

I have watched programs on television that deal with hauntings, ghosts...things that go bump in the night. Unless all of those people are imagining things or outright lying....something is truly going on. But what? Biblically we know there are "familiar spirits" and "unclean spirits."

Oddly....there is NO DEFINITION given in the Strong's for "familiar." The dictionary tells us familiar is...."intimate, close, too friendly (presumptuous)," among others. Some of the Strong's definitions of "Spirit" are...the rational soul, or superhuman, an angel, demon, or divine God, ghost, life, spirit.

Some of those spirits are mentioned below.....

• Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick:
  
  Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
  
  [list:1b6mikuk]There is a difference in being sick and having unclean spirits.

Mark 3:11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before Him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

• They recognize Him knowing He IS the Son of God but how. When did that happen?

Acts 8:7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
[/list:u:1b6mikuk]

All of those deal with spirits, familiar or unclean, being in a person, a living person or of a medium contacting the dead. What of ghosts...disembodied spirits? Why are they here, if indeed they are here?

• Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broke, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it.
  
  Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

As our spirit returns to God upon our death then why do we hear of ghostly apparitions, hauntings, the spirits of children running through houses? Are they simply the familiar or unclean spirits, pretending to be someone from long ago? Are they the "spirit of the beast that goeth downward" destined to that existance until the end of this age?

Any thoughts?

 

[Tina]

^
They could be spirits of the dead lost.

There is a "Hungry Ghost Festival" that is currently going on in my country. It's a Chinese auspicious month where they believe that the spirits of their dead ancestors come out of hell to roam the earth. I think it's the equivalent to Halloween in your country. The Chinese people would "appease" the ghosts through rites, rituals and even concerts. During this month, real ghosts and demons have been sighted, captured on camera and reported in the news. Needless to say, during this time, Christians step up on prayers as some of us have been "attacked" by these ghosts. They are real and creepy !



:shocked! .... :scared

 

[samuel]

First of all, the Bible tells us that no spirit of man remains on earth after death. That the spirit (the life force) returns to God who gave it.

Ecc.12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. KJV

The Souls of those in Christ would go to paradise, those of the wicked dead will go to hadies, until the great white throne judgment.

Now if these people are dealing with anything, it has to be demonic. As according to the scriptures, no soul/spirit of man remains on this earth after death.

 

[guibox]

Even though I don't believe that the dead are in heaven or consciously alive in hell, no matter which view you take, nowhere in the bible does it say that the spirits of dead people are consciously alive and haunting the living.

Ghosts are merely demons in disguise. Satan has decieved many with the spiritualist movement and 'messages from beyond' from Mary to a dearly, departed grandmother. It is nothing more than a continuing deception perpetrated by Satan in the garden of Eden:

"Ye shall not surely die!"

Thus is the mantra of the new age movement and the false Greek belief of the immortality of the soul that has permeated Christian thinking. Man is an immortal being! Nothing can kill you! You live on after death!

These are great deceptions and believing that spirits of dead people are roaming the earth is nothing more than the rotten fruits of this lie that so many Christians believe without looking at the biblical evidence to the contrary.

 

[whirlwind]

I agree Samuel and Guibox.

The thought of the true spirit of some poor soul, of some precious child wandering earth and unable to go where they should after their physical death is a terrible one.

I don't know anything about demonic spirits...except to know they are real. From various programs it appears there are quite a few pretending to be what they are not.