The title of this article implies that the existence of ghosts is a reality. This might seem to be an odd statement coming from a born again Christian, but I can honestly say that ghosts are real not because of any particular experience I've had, (of which I've had a number of them), but because their existence is clearly documented in the Bible. The Bible tells us why ghosts exist, and also provides a few details about different types of ghosts, as well as phenomenon that could be confused as being ghosts but actually isn't. The Bible also explains the danger of communicating with ghosts, as well as the cure for ghosts, in the event that they are 'infecting' places or even people.
In short, the Bible is the definitive source for knowing anything anyone would ever want to know about ghosts, which makes it somewhat ironic that many Christians simply label all 'ghostly' phenomena as demonic and forget about it, or conclude that ghosts don't exist, when in fact that clearly do.
The first mention of a ghost in the Bible is in Genesis 4:9-12, where Cain killed his brother Abel, and God heard Abel's blood cry up from the ground. Why might this scripture speak of Abel's blood? Perhaps it has something to do with an easily overlooked passage in Leviticus 17:10-15, where it states that the life of the flesh is in the blood. In short, Genesis 4:9-12 is saying that the life of Abel's flesh is crying out to God from within the Earth, beyond the grave.
One could try to turn this into a symbolic interpretation, but the writer of Hebrews 11:4 would disagree, for it is stated therein that by faith, Abel was able to speak to God, even though he was dead, no pun intended. There you go; a ghost mentioned in the Bible, and the first born of the human race at that.
While Cain murdering his brother was not in God's original plan, obviously, the event set a precedent. For those that know of the passage, God cursed Cain after this event. This curse is later formalized in Numbers 35:33-34, where it states that murder defiles a land and the only way to cleanse the land is by the blood of the offender. In other words, when blood is spilled unjustly, the ground where the event occurred will be cursed until justice is met.
So ghosts exist primarily to serve as beacons of justice, though there might be other reasons why God mandated the curse that enables them to enter into our domain. God gave Abel the extraordinary faith to speak beyond the grave, for the purpose of indicting Cain's actions. Abel would not rest until justice was met. In that vein, we see the same scenario played over and over again, in almost every haunting case that involves murder. And sometimes on rare occasion, a curse is lifted, because those voices are heard, the truth comes out, and justice is served. There's even a movie based on a true story, called To Catch a Killer, to prove this point.
Other times, however, haunting activity doesn't seem to be related to a murder, but there may actually be an explanation for other types of haunting activity as well. In any case, the event that creates a curse is a bad thing, because once a curse is established, all hell breaks lose.
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS OF HAUNTING ACTIVITY
Exactly what does the curse of spilled blood entail? What kinds of effects can be observed from such a curse? Might there be other types of curses for other heinous crimes? This is the very mystery we are exploring here; ghosts play an integral part in this curse.
In situations where murder is the root cause of a haunting, as was the case of Abel's spirit crying out to God, actual sentient beings are involved. The 'curse' therefore creates a dimensional rift, whereby beings from the upper dimensions of hell are crossing over into our own dimension. I can say this based on three conclusions drawn from the following scriptures:
- Abel spoke beyond the grave, as stated in Genesis 4:9-12 and reiterated in Hebrews 11:4.
- Spirit possession is widely documented throughout scripture, see Judges 9:23; Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:27; and Mark 9:25 to name a few examples. Because spirit possession is obviously possible, the means by which spirits cross over into our own dimension must also be possible. There is obviously a breakdown in the dimensional barrier dividing our world from lower planes of existence.
- The Bible speaks of hell having various levels, because death and hell are spoken of as independent locations in Revelation 20:15-16, and Deuteronomy 32:22, and a place known as the lowest hell is mentioned in Psalms 86:13, which means there are higher levels to this realm known as hell. Some are very close to our own dimension.
Since there is a dimensional rift created by cursed ground allowing beings from the upper levels of hell access into our dimension, a number of possibilities suddenly come to light, which make this phenomenon potentially extremely complex. Following are some explanations as to what ghosts and ghostly type phenomenon might entail.
GHOSTS AS SENTIENT BEINGS
First, if the phenomenon involves a haunting occurring from a murder, the ghost is most likely an actual sentient being. Ghosts are non-corporeal beings, as defined by Jesus himself in Luke 24:36-37. Take note that Jesus didn't say "Ghosts don't exist," but rather stated "Ghosts do not have flesh and blood as I have." Rather than denying their existence, He defined them, and rightly so, because He cast a great many of them out of people on a regular basis.
Now the part where Christians often get hung up with the idea of disincarnate spirits roaming about is with interpreting Hebrews 9:27, which states that man is appointed only once to die, and then after that comes the judgment. But this scripture doesn't state exactly when that judgment will occur after death; only that it will occur sometime after death. Judgment Day is the judgment being spoken of, when all the dead are brought before God and judged. We don't know how long this will be from now; perhaps a considerable amount of time. Meanwhile, the spirits of the deceased go to one of two places: Believers in Christ go to be in the presence of the Lord as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:8, and for those that don't believe in Christ, we are told in numerous scriptures that their place is down in hell. Since hell has various levels, and we know that it is possible for spirits to cross over into our dimension from hell, there is no reason to conclude that Hebrews 9:27 by itself rules out the possibility for ghosts.
Some Christians will go beyond this reasoning, and claim that all ghostly phenomena are demonic, end of story. But does scripture actually say this?
To begin with, the Bible uses many terms that refer to disincarnate spirits possessing people, and many of these terms might indicate the disincarnate spirits of people, rather than what we commonly know of as demons. Terms, such as evil spirits (Judges 9:23; 1 Samuel 16:14, 15, 16, 23, 18:10, 19:9; Acts 19:12, 13, 15, 16; Luke 7:21, 8:2), unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:27, 3:11, 5:13, 6:7; Luke 4:36, 6:18; Acts 5:16, 8:7; Revelation 16:13), foul spirits (Mark 9:25; Revelation 18:2), and familiar spirits (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:11; 1 Samuel 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 21:6, 23:24; and Isaiah 8:19, 19:3), might all refer to the disincarnate spirits of people, rather than demons. There is no single scripture to suggest otherwise.
But even beyond this, saying that all ghosts are demons isn't saying much, when those who make such statements don't even know what demons are.
What exactly is a demon, anyway? Where do demons come from? Did God create demons? That doesn't seem likely, does it? Were they once good? Are demons the same things as fallen angels?
For starters, demons are NOT fallen angels. This is a common misconception, and anyone who studies the Bible at least a little bit should be able to identify it. Angels are physical beings, as amply depicted in countless scriptures, such as with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah documented in Genesis 19:1-3; the Angel of the Lord wrestling with Jacob in Genesis 32:24-30, with the same events also referred to in Hosea 12:2-4; and with angels interbreeding with people in Genesis 6, also referenced in 2 Peter 2:4-6 and Jude 1:6, just to name a few. Furthermore, angels can not die according to Luke 20:36. Angels do not possess people, because they don't need to; they have their own bodies. The only reason we can't see them most of the time is because they generally want it that way. They desire to give glory to God, rather than directing attention to themselves. Now they can don ghost-like qualities, such as flying and walking through walls, but that's only because they have trans-dimensional powers to do such things, not because they don't have bodies.
Demons, however, love the spotlight, and if they had the ability to be physical, they wouldn't pass it up for a second. For this reason, demons must possess people in order to interact in the physical realm. Also, the circumstances must be exactly right in order for demons to possess people. Documenting those circumstances could take a book in itself, but in most cases, people have to be living in such a way that it actually invites demonic possession; that's why it's so rare. There has to be a foothold somewhere for them to enter in; a vulnerability to exploit.
But where do demons come from?
Demons are actually ancient beings ranging from thousands to millions or even billions of years old, and are actually the ghosts of pre-Adamite humanoids (Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal) and Angel-humanoid hybrids (Nephelim, most before Adam and Eve, and some after Adam and Eve, when Angels mated with humans during Noah's time documented in Genesis 6).
The first demons, the pre-Adamites, come from members of Lucifer's ancient kingdom that once existed on Earth prior to the creation of Adam and Eve. These are the most ancient, and probably the most powerful demons. While they look human (Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal), they actually come from an earlier order of creation, and are distinctly independent from our order of creation documented in Genesis 1:2 through Genesis 2:25. We are all descendents of Adam, who was created from the dust of the Earth; they were not. Most likely Lucifer was their Adam, because he was their king, as Adam would have been our global king had he not sinned. These beings were very similar to us in appearance, but their cranial capacity was ten percent larger than ours on average. Scriptures that speak of Lucifer's kingdom on Earth prior to Adam and Eve are Ezekiel 28:11-19, and Isaiah 14:12-16.
During the reign of Lucifer, some members of his kingdom were angels, and some had not become angels yet. (Angels are not a species, but rather a level of existence or glory, that higher order beings are translated into, as will one day happen with humans that are saved. Explaining this spans beyond the scope of this article, though many of my other writings talk about it for those who are interested.) The interbreeding between the two categories of entities, i.e. angels and those who aren't angels yet, created a hybrid race the Bible refers to as Nephilim. Some of the demons that come from this first order of creation are therefore humanoid (deceased Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal), and some are half breeds; humanoid-angel hybrids. The Nephilim half-breeds of this first order of creation are particularly powerful, because some of them are so old. Who knows what knowledge or power they cultivated after living for thousands or perhaps even millions of years?
The later demons began at the time of Genesis 6, where we see angels mating with humans, and producing angel-human hybrids called Nephilim. The Hebrew word "Rapha" {raw-faw'}, or "Raphah" {raw-faw'}, used for giants in the book of Deuteronomy and Joshua in several places, is also the exact same word used for ghosts of the dead, shades, and spirits in numerous scriptures, such as Job 26:5; Psalm 88:10; Proverbs 2:18; Isaiah 14:9; and many others. The implication, therefore, is that demons are the ghosts of the Nephilim, at least in these passages.
To make matters slightly more confusing, Genesis 6:12 states that all flesh corrupted its way upon the Earth, suggesting that the fallen angels in Genesis 6 not only mated with humans, they might have also had their way with members of the animal kingdom, i.e. all flesh. Various possibilities can be postulated about this. First of all, we know from scripture that the fallen angels in Genesis 6 had an objective for the Nephilim. The intent of the Nephilim was to conquer the world through brute force. That's why God wiped out the entire Earth, including the animal kingdom. Recall from the scripture, the world was filled with violence. The majority of the Nephilim were genetically superior humanoid giants, also spoken of as men of renown. Many of them might also have been angel-animal hybrids, such as the legendary Minotaur, and other human-animal creatures spoken of in Greek legends and numerous mythos surrounding the globe. These legends have a basis in fact; the Nephilim inspired them. And just as the legends state, many of these beings also had supernatural power.
Some creatures we know of today, but can't prove they exist, such as Big Foot, and El Chupecabre, could be surviving angel-animal hybrid Nephilim. They are possibly able to evade apprehension because of supernatural stealth; but again, that's another article.
Were angels able to interbreed because of their glory, or was there some genetic manipulation going on similar to what we are starting to see in our own science today? Who knows, in a technologically advanced society of ultra intelligent beings, many of which were supernaturally empowered, just about anything is possible. In any case, we know what the end result was; a wide range of weird looking creatures, many of which were imbued with supernatural power, and ALL of which were INCREDIBLY evil!
So that's the story with the origin of demons, which far exceeds the scope of this article, but suffice it to say, demons are mostly humanoid ghosts, with a few exceptions, and in all cases, they're…ghosts.
To suggest that demons can roam the Earth and possess people, yet disincarnate human ghosts of people can't, is absurd. What would that prove, anyway? Besides, there's no scriptural support for such an argument.
GHOSTS AS THOUGHT FORMS
The effects of a curse may be many. As already explained, curses of blood create dimensional rifts. This type of curse is actually built into the fabric of the universe by design. In essence, it is as if the act of murder creates an energy field, which breaks down the barriers of this dimension with that of lower realms.
A study of curses as well as blessings, reveals a few interesting facts. Curses and blessings appear to be a form of energy. It's not a living energy, but a type of energy nonetheless, and it is an energy associated with thoughts that are imbued with the substance of faith, among other things. I even suspect there are actual physical particles associated with this energy. Evidence seems to suggest it. We aren't quite there yet with our understanding of physics, but we're working on it. The more physicists strive to understand the quirks of atomic particles, the more convinced they are becoming of the fact that there seems to be a strange relationship between matter and consciousness. This is really deep stuff man! Maybe I sound like a New Age guru, but I'm getting all this right out of the Bible, (as well as other books like God and the New Physics by physicist Paul Davies). Hey, if they line up, then why not?
The entire field of psychometric phenomena exists because of this energy I'm speaking of. There are ample documented cases of psychics that have assisted law enforcement to catch serial killers by touching objects that were left at the scene of a crime. An actual energy connects objects to people that were not present, and conveys a great deal of meaning.
This energy can be good or bad. Curses are obviously bad, such as when the Apostle Paul caused a man to go blind in Acts 13:11. Blessings are good, such as the entire nation of Israel being blessed by the prophet Balaam in Numbers chapter 22, and when Isaiah blessed his son Jacob in Genesis 27:22-42. The same energy was so saturated within the deceased body of the prophet Elisha that even his dead bones brought a man to life when he touched them, according to 2 Kings 13:21.
Blessings and curses; the substance of faith; these are thing things upon which the foundation of our reality is built. They guide the dynamics of atomic structure.
If such energy exists, which the Bible gives ample scriptures suggesting that it does, it may come in extremely complex forms. Clairvoyants speak of visions and such that completely engulf all the senses. Perhaps it may be that people aren't seeing ghosts at all; they're seeing an audio image that someone else saw, and imprinted on an object or in the atmosphere while seeing it? Perhaps they perceive into another time when someone experienced something, or heard something? This explains a great deal of ghostly phenomenon associated with objects. A haunted tavern, for example, which I saw on a paranormal show, gave off the sounds of a game of billiards being played, even though the tavern no longer had pool tables. Are pool tables actual spirits that can haunt places as sentient beings do? No, but a ghostly game of billiards was recorded on tape. What may have happened was that the people in the place loved playing so much, their energy imprinted into the walls, and when the conditions were right, those sounds reverberated at a low frequency and were able to be picked up on tape many years later.
Audio energy, visual energy, emotional energy, tactile energy; in short, anything that can be perceived and processes within the human brain, is a type of energy in one form or other, and is capable of being impregnated into matter. The science isn't quite there yet, but like always, the Bible is the shortcut to science. Anything that can't be proven yet with science can always be reference in the Bible.
GHOSTS AS DISTORTIONS IN TIME SPACE
As already stated, the effects of curses and blessings may be wide and varied. If blessings and curses are based on faith and faith is the foundation of reality, the effects of blessings and curses could be endless.
It has already been stated that one effect of the curse of blood is the thinning of the veil that divides our current dimension from one of the upper levels of hell. I suspect this is among the most powerful curses of all, because it nearly supersedes the curse of death, to a certain extent. That's one powerful curse! God takes murder seriously!
Perhaps there are side effects to the erosion of dimensional barriers? Since time and space are so integral to one another, could it be that in places where such a curse is in effect, it may also be possible to see into the past, albeit dimly, and perhaps at odd times when the conditions are right?
Maybe people aren't seeing ghosts at all; maybe they're actually seeing people and events in the past, because of a temporal or spatial distortion!
What's more, if places can be blessed or cursed, and people can be blessed or cursed as well, as scripture clearly states in many places, might such spatial or temporal distortions also affect blessed or cursed people wherever they go?
Ever wonder why the people of God mentioned in the Bible could see into the future? Maybe this is why? Cursed places and people erode a temporal inversion into the past, as well as a spatial inversion into lower dimensions, namely the upper dimensions of hell, while blessed places and people erode a temporal inversion into the future, and spatial inversions into higher dimensions, namely the first heaven? Seems to be consistent, no?
After describing all of the above, about ghosts as being sentient beings or perhaps we can be confusing them with our perceptions being altered by absorbing some type of complex sensory energy, or even further, we may perceive through time and space at beings that may not even be dead in their own time, what is to be made of all this?
I believe what we loosely call 'haunted' is probably all three of these things and more, all interacting together! Like I initially said, it's complex.
A murder may break down a dimensional barrier, and the act of the murder infuses the atmosphere with multiple forms of energy that has far reaching effects, such as allowing others to perceive various senses of what happened, and also opening up a rift in time space so that ghosts witnessed in such places might be sentient beings, or actual perceptions into the past; crime reenactment haunting is a common type of haunting that probably opens up a portal into the past. And because of these complex interactions of different forms of energy that we know nothing about, some haunting activity might involve actual sentient beings in our time and in our dimension, while some do not. To definitively solve what types of energy are present in any given haunting would require a level of science we have not yet arrived at yet HOWEVER, as I said before, the Bible is always a shortcut.
I suspect just about any given haunting activity can be solved and rectified with enough prayer and Bible study.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT GHOSTS WHEN ENCOUNTERED
While speaking about blessings and curses, I wandered from the topic of ghosts slightly, because ghosts aren't in the category of blessings, but generally only curses.
What should we do about ghosts when encountered?
First of all, we shouldn't communicate with them; this activity is expressly forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:9-15, and also spoken of widely in scripture as being an abomination. Another example is given in 1 Samuel 28:14 when the prophet Samuel was summoned by a witch hired by King Saul. Even though the spirit summoned was good, this act was still an abomination, and Samuel pronounced King Saul's death sentence because of it, as well as other sins he was committing. Shortly after this event, King Saul was killed in a battle.
There's a new show on the Sci-Fi channel called Paranormal State, where a group of paranormal researchers are running around the United States helping people out with their ghost problems. The leader of the researchers appears to be a Catholic, I think, I'm still not sure. The show is interesting with some of the information they supply about paranormal phenomenon, but what I don't like about it is the fact that they have a séance in every episode during what they call dead time, at 3:00 A.M. They also have a designated Medium named Chip that shows up from time to time. The episode I watched recently had Chip mentoring a girl on honing her Medium skills. She had formed a relationship with a murdered teenager, and they were teaching her that communicating with it was just fine.
They can try to justify necromancy and Mediums however they want, but according to the Bible, this is WRONG. They've even had a Catholic priest show up from time to time to perform an exorcism. I still don't know how they justify communicating with spirits, since this activity is explicitly described as an abomination unto the Lord in scripture. Now going to haunted places and conducting research to understand the phenomenon is one thing, but trying to open a dialogue with a disincarnate entity is sin, first of all, and secondly, it's inviting disaster into one's life. I know from personal experience, and from the experience of a good friend of mine. It's a very bad thing!
Perhaps they want to invite a curse upon themselves for the sake of obtaining higher ratings for their program? There's a saying; hang around haunted places long enough, (without cleaning them), you become a haunted person. And haunted people are open doors to demonic possession; enough said.
Now scripture states that we should test the spirits, but the spirits that are disincarnate are pretty obvious. If they're creepy and only showing up in the middle of the night, get a clue. Do we need to open a dialogue with them?
The instances where angelic encounters are described in the Bible reveal that angels appear as normal looking people, with very few exceptions. They might have had glowing skin and/or eyes, unusual clothing and whatnot, they might also be able to levitate and walk though walls and such, but they aren't shadowy figures in a dark corner, nor are they making strange whispering noises caught on tape. When angels want to be seen and heard, they are not phantom-like; in all instances, they are described as having physical, tangible bodies, and speaking loud and clear, with no confusion and no EVP recording devices required.
Even so, scripture states in 1 John 4:1 that we should test the spirits, even these types of spirits that appear as tangible people, because there is such a thing as fallen angels. We don't want to be listening to them for crying out loud! (Some people have; that's where we get many of our religions in the world today, but I won't digress …).
What are the tests? Thankfully they're simple. If the entity in question purports information that is clearly proven to be false, i.e. false prophecies, or attempts to redefine the definition of God, such as claiming that people are 'gods,' or refuting the divinity of Jesus as the only begotten Son of God who is the only way to salvation, then the entity is lying and should be rebuked in the name of Jesus. Simply look at every cult in existence today, and there is always the central theme of God's definition and Jesus being the only way to salvation being tampered with.
If it's a fallen angel and the rebuke comes from a person of faith, the fallen angel will most likely leave rather than fight the angels that will come to your rescue when you pray. However, if the entity perceives a lack of faith, be ready for that faith to be challenged.
If the entity in question is a disincarnate entity, however, then it may either be a ghost, or a ghostly type phenomenon. In both cases, there is a cure.
It is a curse that brings ghosts into our world, whether by dimensional, temporal, or spatial distortions, or by other forms of energy impregnated into matter that is messing with our perceptions. It is therefore a blessing that takes ghosts out of our world, first by diffusing dimensional, temporal, or spatial distortions, and then by opening up new distortions that aim into the higher realms.
In cases of murder, which is the primary instigator of most haunting, consider the fact that the blood of Jesus was shed for all the sins of the world. The blood of Jesus is that very blood referenced in Numbers 35:33-34, where it states that only the blood of the guilty party can remove such a curse. Numbers 35:33-34 is actually a prophecy pointing to the blood of Jesus, which has the power to remove all curses. Scripture states that Jesus releases us from our curses (Galatians 3:13, and countless other scriptures), when He took upon himself all the sin of the world by dying on the cross. Believe this, and pray this over any haunted location or person, and it is a guaranteed cure.
Furthermore, be persistent. If there is a contest of wills, simply keep praying and rebuking the entities or phenomenon in question, and it will eventually leave. In many cases, (speaking from personal experience), there is at least one major showdown, and then a second 'testing of the waters' by powerful or irritating haunts. Be vigilant and fight back, especially after the first 'testing of the waters.' This is actually the primary method that spirits check to see if you really mean what you pray, if you really have faith. Consistency says more about faith than just about anything else.
For anyone having 'ghostly' problems, I personally extend my email address, jmilor@yahoo.com, to serve as an intercessor in prayer to cleans and purge haunted locations or people. There is no limit or rules to faith; whatever prayers can be imagined, can produce results. Furthermore, the more people are praying, the merrier.
Hopefully the article clears up a few misconceptions, and perhaps even helps some people out there dealing with 'spooks.'
Notes:
- Rick Meyers, "Equipping Ministries Foundation, e-Sword Bible software," April 7, 2000, http://www.e-sword.net/bibles.html; Enhanced Strong's Lexicon (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems Inc., 1995). All scriptural references were obtained with e-Sword free Bible software, which includes Strong's Enhance Lexicon for Greek and Hebrew translations.
- Paul Davies, God & the New Physics, (New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983), 71.
