Would God Make A Friendly Ghost Like Casper?
Answer: No. Some people in the Bible thought they saw a ghost (a spirit) at times.
When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost.
When an angel freed Peter from prison and his friend Rhoda saw him, she thought she was seeing “his angel.”
When Jesus appeared to his disciples after he rose from the dead, he said he was not a ghost.
And some Bible translations use the word ghost to mean “spirit.”
But the Bible does not teach that spirits fly around visiting people.
Many people have believed that after death, people come back as ghosts.
But that’s not taught in the Bible at all.
Some people call the Holy Spirit the Holy Ghost.
When Jesus left the earth, he sent the Holy Spirit to live within us.
He is the one who comforts, guides, and protects us.
Key verse: Then the Father will send the Comforter to you.
The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you much.
And he will remind you of everything I myself have told you. (John 14:26)
Related verses: Matthew 14:26; Luke 24:39; John 14:15-26; Acts 12:1-19
Related questions: Did God make ghosts? Can people come back from heaven to visit earth?
Why Do Some People Believe In Ghosts?
Answer: A ghost is a disembodied spirit-the spirit of a person separated from the body.
Some people believe in ghosts because they have heard about them on television shows, in movies, and in cartoons, and because many other people believe in ghosts.
Some people believe in them because they have had strange experiences that they can’t explain, and they figure that ghosts are the only answer.
The Bible gives no evidence that people come back to earth without their bodies.
When you die, God takes your spirit from earth forever-believers into God’s presence, unbelievers to a place of suffering.
People do not come back as ghosts.
Key verse: It is planned that men die only once. And after that comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
Related verses: Matthew 14:26-27; Luke 16:19-31; 24:37-39
Related questions: When you are dead and you’re up in heaven, could you talk to somebody on earth still?
How can people come back from heaven when the doctors bring them back to life?
If someone has a heart attack and dies and goes to heaven for a couple seconds and then comes back again, is it because the doctor saves him?
Can people come back from heaven to visit earth?
Why Did Saul Go To A Fortune-Teller?
Answer: King Saul went to see a medium, or fortune- teller, because he was desperate.
He did not trust in God to lead him. Saul wanted to find out things that he didn’t have a right to know.
In the law, God had told his people that they should never get involved with witchcraft, mediums, and fortune-tellers.
Saul disobeyed God and did it anyway.
Key verse: Saul then ordered his aides to try to find a medium. He wanted to ask her what to do. (1 Samuel 28:7)
Related verses: Deuteronomy 18:10-11; 1 Samuel 28:3-25; Acts 16:16
Related questions: How can people see things in crystal balls?
Does celebrating Halloween make God unhappy? Is a seance when a dead person talks at their own funeral?
Note to parents: Dabbling in the occult is not a harmless pastime.
Satan and demons are real beings that can influence the physical world, and occult practices only invite them to do so.
Don’t have Ouija boards, tarot cards, or other forms of occult fortune-telling in your home, and don’t let your kids use them either.
Remind your child that God loves us, has good plans for us, and has given us the Holy Spirit.
He will give us wisdom if we ask him (James 1:5).