What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts?

In our popular culture today, we are surrounded by tales of spirits, haunting of houses, and apparitions and ghosts. There is hardly an opportunity that the movie studios miss in which to put out several or more films a year that deals with the subject of ghosts. Most of us can remember a time when we were little and when ghosts seemed very real to us. For example, you may have imagined a ghost when you heard the sound of a creaking floor near or in your bedroom, or you might have imagined seeing a shadowy figure out of the corners of your eyes. But do ghosts really exist? And what does the Bible tell us about them? Read on to find out.

For Christians, it is important to understand what ghosts might be and what they are not. The word “ghost” itself derives from the Old English word gást. In many older versions of the Bible, the term for the Holy Spirit was often commonly said to be “Holy Ghost.” For example, in Matthew 3:11 (KJV) of the King James Version, the Holy Spirit will be referred as the “Holy Ghost,” instead of just the Holy Spirit as you will find in the New International Version (Matthew 3:11, NIV). This is probably where the original confusion about the actual existence or non-existence of ghosts began. As Christians, we should know that it is certainly possible that such things as “spirit beings” exist, but it is not possible that such a thing as the “spirit of people who have died” also exists. Read further for an explanation of why.

The Bible describes “spirit beings” clearly, and some are good (angels) while others are evil (demons). In the Bible, these good and evil spirit beings are more commonly known as angels and demons. Angels, as we know, were created by God Himself to be His faithful servants, and they are good, righteous, and holy in intent and spirit. Demons, however, are evil spirit beings who were once angels but fell from righteousness when they became accomplices (or allies) to Lucifer (Satan) in his war against God and God’s rule of heaven.

Demons are masquerade artists. In other words, they can disguise themselves. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:14-15), we are told how these creatures are able to appear or disguise themselves as what Paul calls “angels of light” and “servants of righteousness.” Because of this ability, it is certainly reasonable to assume that a demon could in fact appear to someone as the spirit of a deceased person–especially that of a loved one–if it helped the demon to carry out its evil purposes.

The Bible assures us that we only die one time, and then we will await judgment. There are several passages which help to explain how it would not be possible for us to die and then to live on, in some sort of spirit form, as a ghost. Hebrews 9:27 (NIV) tells us clearly that we are “…destined to die once and, after that, to face judgment.” And when we are judged, the decision for us is heaven if we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (John 3:16). However, if a person chooses to become an unbeliever (and continues being an unbeliever), then their destination would be hell (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24).

There is no “in between” state of existence for us between death and eventual eternal life or eternal damnation. We are assured of this again in Matthew 25:46 (NIV), where words similar to those in Hebrews 9:27 (NIV) are used. We therefore know that there can be no “in between” state for us, and, therefore, it cannot be possible for the spirit of a deceased person to roam the earth as a "ghost". Chances are, if you truly think you have seen a “ghost,” it was probably just one of Satan’s servants (demons), sent to trick you.