Theological Thursday --- Ghosts

A friend of mine moved to Ashland with his wife and 4-year-old boy. The new house they moved into had the back yard opening up into Ashland Cemetery. It wasn't long before their son made an imaginary friend named "Tommy". One day when the son came in for dinner they jokingly asked if he had invited Tommy for dinner as well to which he responded, "Tommy went home". They asked where Tommy lived and he pointed out into the cemetery and said, "In the ground". They followed him to where Tommy "lived" and he took them directly to a plot where the tombstone read, "Thomas --- 1973-1978".

So who was Tommy? Was it the "Spirit of Thomas"? Was it a ghost? Was it an angel? Do these things even exist? Well, as with everything to get an answer for these questions, we need to dig into Scripture. Here are a few things we can gather about ghosts from God's Word:

1) The Disciples believed in ghosts --- In Matthew 14 (the story of Jesus walking on water), the disciples took one look at Jesus and they cried out in fear, "It is a ghost" (vs. 26). In Jesus' response, He did not rebuke them for believing He was a ghost, but rather simply said, "Do not be afraid, for it is I" (vs. 27).

2) Jesus appears to affirm that their are ghosts --- In Luke 24 (after the resurrection) Jesus appears to His disciples and again, they think it is a ghost (vs. 37). This time, Jesus' response is, "Touch me, and see. For a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (vs. 39).

So if ghosts exist, what are they? Let's first look at what they aren't:

1) Ghosts are not dead people --- Most people who believe in ghosts think that they are people who have died coming back from the dead. But Scripture is clear that the moment we pass from this life, we go directly to heaven or hell (remember the old Monopoly card "Go to Jail, Go Directly to Jail, Do not pass Go, Do not Collect $200). We see this in Hebrews 9:27 where the Greek word "meta" is an immediate action in which we go directly before his throne. Paul uses an aorist verb (indicating immediate action) in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when he says, "T0 be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord". And in the story of Lazarus and the rich ruler (Luke 23), the rich ruler (who is in hell) begs God to send one of them back to earth to warn his family...a request that is denied.

2) Ghosts are not angels --- In Hebrews 13:2, we read, "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels". So angels can absolutely appear to us today, but one form they may be in is human form. The "bum" sitting on the street could really be an angel. The verse isn't clear how many angels are walking the Earth in human form, but we do know that with some angels we won't be able to tell a difference. Also, when we see angels in Scripture coming in a more of what we would call "angelic form" (with wings, soothing voice, etc) they start off with the introduction of, "Do not be afraid" or "Fear not" (Genesis 21:17, Luke 2:10, etc) and there is never indications of "haunting" or "uncertainty" with angels that we have when we think of ghosts.

OK, so there are ghosts out there and they are not dead people and they are not angels...so what are they? Well, next week we will continue from Scripture and look for an answer to that, and what it all means. What a perfect lead-up to Halloween! Feel free to share any stories of your own or any thoughts on ghosts in the comment box --- I'd love to hear from you!